


I've Known Everything Since I First Saw You

by bluemadridista



Category: K-pop, NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Cute, Eventual Smut, Fluff, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, platonic taeyong/johnny, taeten - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2019-05-11
Packaged: 2019-05-12 03:05:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 56,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14714922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluemadridista/pseuds/bluemadridista
Summary: Taeyong is immediately interested when Ten moves into the long vacant apartment across the hall. He pursues him in the sweetest ways possible.Or, the stupidly fluffy, eventually sort of smutty Taeten neighbor!au that no one asked for.**EDITED!! Half of the fic was somehow missing! Chapters reposted!**





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The title is a line from Baby, Don't Stop by Taeten, er NCT U.
> 
> As noted above, this is rated M because there will eventually be smut. Right now, it's just tooth-rotting fluff, though. I'll make a note when the smut comes in!

Taeyong was lounging on the window seat at the front of his apartment – sketchbook in his lap – when he spotted a moving truck rumbling up the street. He had heard a rumor that someone was finally going to brave the supposedly haunted apartment across the hall. The rumors must be true.

He placed his pencil over the half-finished sketch of the beautiful old maple tree in front of the building to watch the truck roll to a stop. The driver got out first followed by his passenger – both dressed in typical workman's uniforms. He watched for a few moments as they opened the back of the truck and began unpacking boxes onto a moving dolly.

Bored with them, he went back to his sketch, filling in the leaves on the branches. The faint sound of the movers conversing over boxes and dollies could be heard through his open window. He looked around for his earbuds and phone, quickly replacing their voices with the sound of the latest from Super Junior.

Much better.

He sighed and leaned back against the wall, intent on returning to his sketch. But movement down below caught his eye – another vehicle driving up the road. A Vespa – cute, beige and light green (seafoam, maybe). Taeyong had always dreamed of having a Vespa, but his mother called any vehicle without doors "an accident waiting to happen."

He watched as the helmeted rider pulled to a stop on the walkway in front of his building – their building now, he assumed this was his new neighbor. The movers greeted him as he removed his helmet, shaking out shaggy pastel hair. Taeyong scooted closer to the window and squinted to get a better look at him.

Pastel rainbow-colored hair. Intriguing. Taeyong’s own hair was a fading paste blue.

Being two floors up did nothing for Taeyong's admittedly poor eyesight. He couldn't afford contacts and loathed his clunky old glasses.

But.

He would make an exception to his no glasses rule for the new neighbor. Could be hot.

He dashed into his bedroom and returned with the black square-framed glasses just in time to see the new neighbor taking a small box from the truck.

When he turned, Taeyong got a good look at his face.

Hot.

Definitely hot.

Good grief.

His face was pressed to the glass window like a kid at the aquarium staring at beautiful exotic fish.

Exotic fish had nothing on this guy.

The mover said something to him that Taeyong couldn't quite make out and the guy broke into a smile.

Even hotter.

Taeyong jumped up. He could offer to help him carry boxes inside.

No. That would be weird, wouldn't it?

"Hey, so I was just stalking you from my apartment up there. Need some help?"

He paced around his kitchen/dining/living/only room in the apartment that wasn't his bedroom or bathroom. He hadn't seen a guy that hot in... well, probably forever. Outside of idols, yeah, never anyone that hot. And that smile. Definitely worth the stupid glasses.

He returned to the window, but the trio had disappeared into the building already. A moment later, he heard the elevator stopping on their floor. The hot guy was definitely moving into the haunted apartment. Let the ghost be benevolent – and if it wasn't, let him come stay in his apartment to get away from it!

He sat on the window seat, sketchbook tossed aside in favor of his phone. He need an idea.

First, he Googled: How to introduce yourself to the new neighbor.

Because, yes, he was _that_ lame.

Google suggested throwing a dinner party with plenty of "icebreaker" conversation starters.

Pass.

He was twenty – not ninety.

He closed out the search app and sent a text to his friend, Johnny.

A reply came promptly. "Are you asking me how to get into your new hot neighbor's pants?"

Taeyong groaned and tapped out a quick response. "No! I'm asking how I can introduce myself without sounding like some weird stalker that's been staring at him out of my window."

"You are some creepy stalker that's been staring at him. May as well own up to it. ;)"

"Thanks for all your help, jerkoff."

"My mom just said baked goods."

"What?"

"Give him something baked. You're always cooking. Make food for him."

That actually wasn't a bad idea. Of course, it wasn't Johnny's idea. Why did he think Johnny would even have a good idea in the first place? He was a moron.

"Why am I even friends with you? Tell your mom I said thanks."

Baked goods! Why hadn't he thought of that?

He tossed his phone aside and went to the refrigerator. He had the basics: milk, butter, eggs. That was a good start. He opened a few cabinets. He had flour, sugar, vanilla extract. He could make sugar cookies or vanilla cake.

Lame.

He opened another cabinet. Brown sugar. Spices.

Snickerdoodles. Everyone loved snickerdoodles, right?

Decision made, he got out his bowl and utensils and began mixing everything together. He would kill for a stand mixer, but being a poor college student, he made do with what he had – a 700-year-old hand mixer and strong arms.

 

Almost an hour later, two dozen cookies were out of the oven and cooling on racks on the counter. He wanted to eat one but, more than that, he wanted an even two dozen for the new hot neighbor.

While they cooled, he searched his low cabinets for a container big enough to hold them. His mother had given him some dishes when he moved into the apartment and he recalled a giant Tupperware thing. He never used it, but it would be perfect for twenty-four cookies.

As he was loading them into it, he began to wonder – what would one, single hot guy need with twenty-four cookies?

He grabbed a smaller container, loaded half of the cookies into it, and closed it. A dozen was a more reasonable number for a single (hopefully) hot guy.

The movers had finished up and left while Taeyong's second batch was in the oven. He wondered if the guy was settled enough to take his cookies. Would he seem like a stalker still?

He was stressing over the decision to take the cookies and possibly seem like a stalker or eat twenty-four cookies by himself and gain eighty pounds when there was a knock at his door.

He jumped, nearly throwing the container of cookies across the room. What if it was the new neighbor? What if he had somehow sensed that someone was stalking him?!

Taeyong ran his fingers through his hair and scolded himself for being too dramatic. It probably wasn't even the neighbor. Knowing his idiot friend, it was probably Johnny come to get a look at the hot neighbor or eat whatever baked goods he thought Taeyong prepared.

Mind made up that it was Johnny at the door, he left the cookies on the counter and went to open it after the second knock. Just as his hand clasped the knob, a terrible thought came to his mind: Johnny had a key. Why would he knock?

Johnny was also an idiot, though. He could have left the key behind. It wouldn't have been the first time. But then how would he have gotten into the building without buzzing Taeyong first.

Taeyong wasn't usually given to such anxiety but his mind went a little haywire when good looking men were involved. He took a breath and opened the door, hoping for the super of the building or the old lady next door looking for a cup of sugar.

Of course, it was neither. It was definitely the hot neighbor, looking even hotter when Taeyong could see him clearly even without the help of his ugly glasses.

The neighbor smiled. "Hi!" He waved. His words were accented, but Taeyong couldn't place the accent.

He waved back, though he didn't usually do that to someone standing so close to him. "Hello."

"I'm your new neighbor." The ridiculously good-looking guy swiveled a little to point to his apartment across the hall. "I'm Ten."

Taeyong's face twisted and he looked the guy up and down. No way was he ten years old. "I'm sorry... You're ten?"

The guy nodded, smiling wider. "And you are?"

"Not ten," Taeyong blurted. How could he be ten?! He was about the same height and build as Taeyong himself.

The man laughed and Taeyong nearly melted into the floor, despite his confusion. His laugh was light and sweet and it expanded on his already beautiful smile. Taeyong noticed then something that he couldn't see from afar – the cutest little dimples under his eyes. It brought to mind a certain idol that Taeyong liked a lot – the only other man he'd seen with dimples under his eyes – but they had nothing on this guy.

"I know you're not Ten. I'm Ten. What's your name?"

"Wait... Your name is Ten? I thought you were telling me that you're ten years old."

The guy laughed again, doubling over a little. "No, no! How could I be ten years old?! I'm twenty and my name is Ten."

Twenty, that solved that mystery, but now he had so many other questions. What kind of name was Ten? Was he single? Did he like men? Okay, the latter two had been on Taeyong's mind all day, but knowing he was the same age as Taeyong brought them to the forefront again.

"What kind of name is Ten?"

"A Thai nickname. I'm from Thailand."

Thailand. Wow.

Taeyong had been just been in Thailand with Johnny during summer break. Good Lord.

He would never go back. Too wild for his tastes. Though, he had some _interesting_ experiences.

"Oh. I'm Taeyong. I'm from Korea."

Ten laughed again. "I thought so. You look Korean. I spent a few years there in high school."

Taeyong nodded and felt a slight stab of homesickness. He liked living in the States. It was a whole new experience, but he missed home. He hadn't been back since he moved to Boston for college two years previously. "Where did you live?"

"Seoul."

"Ah, it's nice there."

"Are you from there?"

"Yes."

Why was he telling this guy his life story? Why was he even here? Maybe he was the stalker!

"Cool!"

"Yeah... So, did you need something?"

Ten shook his head. "I was just bored from unpacking. I just moved in today, you know?"

Taeyong nodded casually. "I think I saw the moving truck earlier." He stressed the word, "think," and shrugged so he definitely wouldn't sound like a stalker that had watched Ten walking boxes into the building.

"Yeah, that was me! So, yeah, I was bored and I thought I would introduce myself to the neighbors. I went to the neighbor next to you first but got no answer."

"That's Mrs. Collins. She naps in the afternoons. If you want to catch her, you have to get her before eleven."

"Ah, good to know. And it's just us three on this floor then?"

"Yeah, your apartment is the size of two, so..."

"I'm lucky, I guess." He laughed.

Not if there's a ghost haunting your place, Taeyong thought. He seemed to recall the people he met in Thailand being wild about ghosts, though, so maybe Ten wouldn't mind so much.

"I actually just baked some cookies," Taeyong said. "Would you like some?"

He spoke like he most certainly did not bake them specially for him. It was perfectly reasonable for him to bake cookies on a Saturday afternoon.

"Oh! I love cookies. You can bake?"

Taeyong nodded. "I bake all the time."

"Really? That's so cool! I have a hard time with the toaster, so... You're really cool."

Taeyong waved him inside. "How do you eat if you can't cook?" He shut the door behind him and grabbed the container from the counter that he'd packed for him earlier. "There's a dozen here."

"Wow! Thank you." He held the container up to his eyes, staring through the clear plastic at the cookies. "Cinnamon?"

"Snickerdoodles. Cinnamon and sugar."

"Delicious! And I eat take out mostly." He shrugged his shoulders. "My mom says it's unhealthy, but my father refused to let me learn to cook, so I blame him." He laughed and shrugged his shoulders again. "Can you cook or just bake?"

"I can do it all. My mother and grandmother taught me." Taeyong couldn't imagine not being able to cook. He loved it. He didn't have a lot of money but any extra money he had went on ingredients for the meals he found on Pinterest or Tumblr. He usually made extra and shared with Johnny (who lived across town with his mother) or Mrs. Collins. He wasn't close with anyone else in his building. They were all old people. Living close to campus with the other university students was too expensive. It was worth the long walk, bike ride, or bus ride to campus to save a load of money on rent.

"That's so cool. You're very lucky, Taeyong. And thanks again." He lifted the cookies. "I'll eat them well and return your container soon."

Taeyong nodded. "Sure, no worries. I hope you like them."

"I'm sure I will. I'm actually going to eat one now. I've been unpacking all morning and I'm starving."

Taeyong thought that he meant he would leave to eat one, but he popped open the container right there.

"Aw, man, these cookies smell delicious!" Ten stuck his face in the dish and sniffed loudly. He took one out and took a large bite.

Taeyong couldn't help staring at him while he chewed the snickerdoodle. He had always thought there was something sexy about an attractive man eating. Ten was no exception.

"This is so good," he said with his mouth full, smile wide, dimples on full display.

His dimpled smile made Taeyong smile as well. He thanked him for the compliment. "I'm glad you liked them. Please enjoy the rest of them."

"I will! Thanks so much, Taeyong. You're a great neighbor!"

Taeyong smiled bashfully. "It's nothing, really."

Ten nodded and closed up the cookie container. "Well, I should get back. I'm just procrastinating now. I've got so much unpacking to do." He laughed a little.

Taeyong thought to offer him help with the unpacking but that would be intrusive. "We just met. Let me touch all of your personal things and intrude into your apartment."

Yeah, no.

"Good luck with it all!" He finally said. "If you get bored again, feel free to knock."

"Ah, maybe I will. Maybe. You planning to do any more baking tonight?"

Taeyong laughed, sensing the joking nature of his question when Ten flashed him a dimpled smile. "Not tonight. Two dozen cookies is enough for one day."

"Wah! You can never have enough cookies." He hoped the door. "Thanks again, Taeyong. It was nice to meet you." He waved and started across to his apartment.

Taeyong took hold of the door, leaning on it as he walked him walk across the hall. "Nice to meet you too."

Ten glanced back, gorgeous smile on display, and waved at him again before disappearing into his apartment.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taeyong has another encounter with his cute neighbor, but this chapter has a lot of Johnny/Taeyong moments. They're the cutest friends... but Johnny is an idiot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who left comments on the first chapter! I appreciate it so much! I was going to wait a week before posting this second chapter, but my girl can't get enough of the Taeten, so here it is!
> 
> A few people made mention of Tae and Ten's hair colors in the last chapter. I didn't realize that was going to bother so many people! lolol Their hair colors will change in a few chapters, don't worry! :)

"A smile sweeter than snickerdoodles? Did you really just say that?"

Johnny's voice was thick with mocking as it came over Taeyong's speakerphone.

Taeyong's iPhone rested in its little dock on the counter while he prepared 된장찌개 - a soybean paste stew with vegetables and tofu. It was one of his favorite recipes from home and he hoped Ten would like it as he planned to take some to him. No one should have to suffer take-out after a day of unpacking.

"Johnny, shut up. Why do I even talk to you?"

"Because you're a loser that doesn't have any other friends. But also because I'm freaking awesome."

"You're a _freaking_ idiot."

"You're the one saying that your new neighbor has a smile sweeter than snickerdoodles." Johnny cackled. "You're so dumb."

Taeyong had to admit (to himself never to Johnny) that he sounded stupid saying that but Ten did have a sweet smile and he had snickerdoodles on his mind. There twelve on the counter beside him.

"Is he hot, though?" Johnny asked.

"Yes."

"Ah, maybe I need to come visit my good friend, Taeyong."

"No."

"You can't stop me."

"I can."

"What are you going to do? I have a key."

"I'll block the door."

"Go ahead. Then I'll have to seek help from the neighbor across the hall."

"You wouldn't!"

Johnny laughed loudly. "I'm not going to scam on your new obsession."

"Not an obsession. He's my neighbor and he's attractive."

"And you've already baked him cookies..."

"YOUR MOTHER SUGGESTED THAT! It's a housewarming, welcome to the building gift!"

"And now you're cooking dinner for him... What is that? A housewarming, welcome to my pants gift?"

"Why are you so crude?"

"Why do you say words like 'crude'?"

"Because I have a bigger vocabulary than you, you Neanderthal."

"Oh, you wound me." Taeyong could pick Johnny rolling his eyes dramatically.

"Whatever. I gotta go. My stew is almost done."

"Have fun with the hot neighbor! Keep me posted!"

"Not likely."  Taeyong reached out to end the call before Johnny could get a word in.

He sighed. What if Johnny was a little right? Not that he ever wanted to give Johnny credit for anything.

But... he might have a point. Taeyong was getting too carried away. He was acting foolishly. Baking cookies was one thing. Making dinner for him was... too much.

He stared at the pot of stew that was too big for just him even if leftovers were just as good in his mind. He'd have to share some. He glanced at the clock. It was nearing five o' clock. Mrs. Collins would be eating soon. He'd take some over to her.

He prepared some kimchi, rice, and stew into cute bento-like dishes that he'd purchased to carry lunch to campus. Mrs. Collins would be grateful for this and he wouldn't look like a weird stalker.

When he emerged from his apartment, Ten was coming out of the one across the hall. Their eyes met, hands still on their doorknobs, half in and half out of their apartments. Ten smiled, forcing Taeyong into one. He couldn't help it. The dimples got to him every time.

When Ten gasped and broke into a wider grin, Taeyong was confused. He glanced around for the appearance of another person, a puppy maybe. "You made food for me! Seriously?!" Ten left his door standing ajar and flopped toward him, half walking, half bouncing in some sort of weird excited dance-walk. It was adorable. "Are you going for a best neighbor award or something?!"

"Uh, yeah. Haven't you heard? The voting started yesterday."

Ten grinned at him. "You're definitely winning. I was just going out to search for some take-out. This is... Honestly, Taeyong, this is so kind of you."

Taeyong thanked God that he hadn't called ahead to Mrs. Collins. He could easily pack up some more for her, but what if she heard them and came to claim her food?

"I hope you like it. It's a Korean stew."

"Ah! I will love it, I'm sure." He took the dishes – all stacked cutely – from Taeyong. "It smells delicious," he said, sniffing at the dish on top – the small kimchi dish.

"That's kimchi – my mother's recipe."

"You make your own?"

Taeyong nodded. "Ah, you're so talented! I wish I knew what you knew!"

"You should learn."

"I tried to take a cooking lesson once. They threw me out after I set fire to the stove."

Taeyong's eyes widened.

"It was a small fire!" Ten defended.

Taeyong laughed then. "I can show you a few basic things some time, if you like, when you get settled." He hoped he didn't sound like a stalker.

"I would like that." Ten nodded. "Do you have insurance on your apartment? Your stove? Life insurance. I'm dangerous."

There was a mischievous glint to Ten's eyes when he joked around that made Taeyong's stomach flutter.

"I'll take my chances."

 

Taeyong was back in the window seat two hours later, painting a little watercolor of the sunset – all pink and orange clouds with the waning sun in the center.

His hand jerked, spreading some yellow into nearby pink when there was a knock at his door.

He put down his painting, dropped the brush into his cup of water, and rushed to the door, sure it was Ten.

"I've come for cookies! Feed me!"

His stomach dropped in disappointment. "Why are you here?"

Johnny shoved past him into the apartment, kicking off his shoes and dropping what looked worrisomely like an overnight bag. "Where are the snickerdoodles?"

Taeyong closed the door before Johnny could make mention of the snickerdoodle smile across the hall.

"Can you keep your voice down?"

He asked, but he knew that Johnny was physically incapable of lowering his voice. His mom always said, "He came into this world screaming and probably won't ever stop."

Johnny was at the counter, opening the container of snickerdoodles. Taeyong had eaten one for dessert after dinner. He was sure Johnny would demolish the other eleven before he left.

"Why do I need to keep my voice down? Are you worried your new hot neighbor will hear me and think I'm your _lover_? He might think you're unavailable for _lovin_ '." Johnny raised his voice with each word until Taeyong punched him in the arm.

He rubbed his arm and laughed. "Ouch, you jerk."

"What are you doing here?"

"I told you when I came in! I'm here for cookies!"

"You can take all twelve with you and go."

"Why are you trying to get rid of me?"

Because he hoped that Ten would return his dishes and they would talk and Ten would smile and Taeyong would swoon.

"If you came for cookies, I'm just helping you to get what you came for."

"Is he coming back here? Are you two planning some rendezvous?"

"What?"

"The hot neighbor! Is he coming over and that's why you're trying to get rid of me?"

Taeyong sighed. "No, he's hot."

At least he hoped not now that Johnny showed no signs of leaving any time soon.

"Good. I'm staying over then. It's been ages since we hung out anyway."

"We had lunch yesterday."

"Lunch is not hanging out. You're always so busy – working on your art." Johnny rolled his eyes.

"I am an art major..."

"Yeah, but you can take one night, can't you? It's Saturday. You don't have class tomorrow. What's the harm?"

"No harm. I didn't mean that. Just no talking about the neighbor if you're going to stay."

Johnny made a grumbling sound and stuff half a snickerdoodle into his mouth. With his mouth full, he "Where's the fun in that?"

Taeyong rolled his eyes. "Have you eaten actual food today?"

Johnny held up the remains of his cookie. Taeyong watched crumbs cascading to the floor. He grabbed the small dust broom while Johnny answered. "What do you call this? Is this plastic?"

"You know what I mean." He swept the crumbs from Johnny's cookie into the small dust pan and emptied the contents of his nearby trash bin. "Have you eaten dinner?"

"No. I had a huge lunch, though. Mom made a feast."

Johnny was spoiled which was why he was a brat most of the time. As Taeyong walked to the refrigerator to remove leftovers and offer them to Johnny, he realized that he probably spoiled his friend as much as Johnny's own mother did. "I have some leftovers. Do you want to eat?" He was already reaching for utensils. He knew Johnny wouldn't refuse free food.

"Sure, why not." Johnny ruffled his friend's hair. "You're too good to me, you know? I might have to move in with you."

"You're sleeping on the bathroom floor, if you do."

"Just don't pee on me in the morning and we're good."

Taeyong shook his head. "You're not moving in here. I don't think you'll ever move out of your mom's house."

"I'm only twenty! Let me live!"

 

Twenty minutes later, Johnny had obliterated what was left of Taeyong's dinner and two more cookies. How he looked so fit, Taeyong would never know. He ate twice what Taeyong ate and wasn't much bigger than him.

They settled down on Taeyong's small couch and turned on the television. Johnny had brought over some action movie that Taeyong "had to freaking see because, dude!" Taeyong feigned interest while Johnny shouted at every vaguely exciting scene and punched Taeyong in the arm during the actually exciting scenes.

Taeyong left him to watch the last twenty minutes alone and started washing up the dinner dishes – Johnny's dinner dishes. Taeyong's were long since washed and put away.

"You missed the best freaking part," Johnny said, wandering to the kitchen side of the room. The menu for Johnny's DVD was playing on a loop.

"How many 'best freaking parts' does that movie have? You prompted me to watch at least ten while I was in there."

Johnny frowned and hopped onto the counter to sit beside Taeyong. "Get your butt off my counter! It's disgusting! Johnny, I prepare food there!"

Johnny slid down, hands in the air like someone afraid of being arrested. "Sorry. I forgot you were weird about germs on your counters."

Taeyong huffed out a breath. He did have a slight issue with germs, but he was pretty sure that everyone had an issue with someone's rear-end on their countertops! "Does your mother allow you to sit on the counters?"

"My mom doesn't tell me what to do! I'm twenty!"

Taeyong eyed Johnny, knowing better.

"Fine. No, she doesn't and I won't sit on your stupid counter again."

"And you'll wipe it down right now."

"With what?"

Taeyong opened the cabinet under the sink and took out a roll of food-safe sanitizing wipes and handed them over to Johnny.

Johnny stared at the container as if it contained an alien species. "Dude, you need help. Why do you own these?"

"Because I clean my living space. Try it sometime."

Johnny rolled his eyes but wiped down the counter while Taeyong went to turn off the television and then finish up the dishes.

"Are you staying the night?" The dishes were put away, counters sparkling, and Johnny was back on the couch.

"I don't know... You probably want me to leave, don't you?"

"You can stay, but no more movies. It's getting late, the walls are paper thin, and Mrs. Collins is asleep."

"Why don't you come over to my house then?"

"You're already here," he said instead of "I don't want to miss it if Ten comes back."

"But what are we going to do?"

"I have cards. We could play some poker."

"Strip poker." Johnny wiggled his eyebrows.

"No."

"No fun. How are you twenty and already no fun? You have about as much fun as my ninety-year-old grandfather. No, he has more fun. He goes to the Bingo hall every week."

Taeyong laughed and smacked Johnny. "I have plenty of fun, thank you very much."

"Are you just out not having it with me then? We never have fun together."

"Johnny, we just spent the summer in Asia. We went to Thailand. I saw things..."

Johnny laughed and looped his arm around Taeyong's neck. "I know and we had a great time, but since we started school again, we don't spend much time together."

"It's only been three weeks. It's barely September. It's just a busy time." Taeyong wrapped his arm around his back. "You're not afraid you're losing me, are you?"

"Kind of. Kind of, I am afraid of losing you. You're my best friend and we're already so different that sometimes I think you don't even like me half the time. And now you have the new hot neighbor!"

"Johnny, don't even say I don't like you. That's dumb. You're an idiot, but I love you. And I don't have the new hot neighbor at all. I don't even know him. And even if I did, that wouldn't make any difference to our relationship." Taeyong booped him on the end of the nose and Johnny smiled. "Why are you freaking out?"

Johnny shrugged his shoulders. "Honestly, I don't know. I read some book where two best friends fell apart during college."

"Wait... you read a book?"

Johnny nudged him hard with his shoulder. "Seriously, Tae. We've been friends forever. I mean, how many friends can say they met as children in one country, stayed friends when the other one moved across the world, and then the other moved across the world to live closer to him again?"

"You're right, Johnny, so I need to ask you... If we've been friends since we were kids, stayed friends when you moved here to finish high school and then I moved all the way here to go to college with you... What makes you think that we're going to fall apart now?"

"Well, you make me sound stupid when you put it that way."

"Right..."

Johnny huffed. "Fine, I guess I'm just being stupid."

"It's okay, Johnny... It's just in your nature."

Johnny shoved him again and they both laughed loudly, half hugging each other, half play wrestling.

Until there came knock at the door.

When Johnny started to dart toward it, Taeyong reached out to grab him, catching his waist and the back of his shirt. "Johnny, no!" he hissed, trying to pull him backward.

"Johnny, _yes_ ," Johnny said, tugging away from the smaller, weaker Taeyong.

Taeyong ran after him to the door, but Johnny jerked it open before he could stop him.

Ten's eyes widened at the sight of Johnny filling the doorway and Taeyong grabbing him from behind.

"I... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to _interrupt_ anything. I was just... I can come back." He turned around, but then immediately spun back. "Or not. I mean, here's your dishes or _his_ dishes." He held the bowls to Johnny, jerked them toward Taeyong, and back to Johnny again. "I... Sorry."

"No!" Taeyong shoved Johnny out of the way finally, and practically launched himself into the hallway. "Sorry, um..." He grabbed the door jamb to stay standing. "I... That’s just my..."

"Boyfriend," Johnny blurted behind him.

Taeyong spun around and smacked him in the arm. His eyes were wide with embarrassed anger.

Ten looked ready to swallow his own head when Taeyong turned again to face him. "Um... Here..." He held the dishes out again.

"He's not my boyfriend. He's my idiot." Taeyong shook his head. "An idiot, I mean. He's my friend, and an idiot."

Ten nodded slowly like he was trying to appease a violent maniac. "I just... wanted to return the bowls. Thank you for the food."

Taeyong took the bowls and slumped when Ten turned and practically ran back to his own apartment.

He slammed the door to his apartment and glared at Johnny. "I am going to kill you."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you liked this chapter, please do let me know with a comment down below! This is my first Taeten - actually my first NCT fic, so I thrive on your comments! Thank you so much!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things got awkward between Ten and Taeyong last chapter - thanks to Johnny. This time around one of Taeyong's more sensible friends tries to actually help him out (and it's adorable).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank everyone who has left comments on the other two chapters! You have no idea how much I appreciate it. I really hope that you'll continue to enjoy this fic!
> 
> I tried out new with the formatting for their text messages. They will be texting a lot, so... I saw the format in a fic posted here by taeharem called A Lot Like Love. It's a Jaehyun/Taeyong fic. If you like that ship, I highly recommend the fic. It was brilliant. And the text format is kind of fun. Hope they don't mind that I borrowed it. :)

For the following week, it seemed as if Taeyong did not have a new neighbor. He never saw Ten, no matter what time of day. A few times, he swore he heard the door across the hall open and then slam shut again when he opened the door to leave his apartment.

Though that could have just been his paranoia...

He was certain that Johnny had ruined any chance he had of getting to know Ten. It's not as if he thought they'd start some whirlwind romance, but he had liked the idea of having a new friend. He lived a solitary life, for the most part. The only friend he had that wasn't someone he only spoke to in text, was Johnny.

He hadn't spoken to Johnny at all aside from a few texts since that night. He was angry, maybe stupidly so, but Johnny knew to keep his distance.

Friday night, Taeyong was preparing kimbap for dinner when his phone buzzed three times consecutively.

He washed his hands and picked up the phone. Three text messages from Johnny.

**Johnny**

I'M AN IDIOT.

I'M SORRY.

I MISS YOU.

Another came in while he was staring at the screen and he scrolled down to reveal it.

**Johnny**

I'LL TELL THE HOT NEIGHBOR THAT I'M AN IDIOT IF YOU JUST ANSWER ME

**Taeyong**

Please don’t ever say another word to the hot neighbor

**Johnny**

Agreed.

Are we okay?

It's been like a week. I miss you.

**Taeyong**

I'm making kimbap... Want me to bring you some?

No way was he inviting Johnny to his apartment again.

Johnny sent back forty food emojis and Taeyong took that to mean he would like some kimbap. He packed the rolls he'd made into two separate containers. It was foolish, but he was worried that Ten hadn't been eating properly all week.

He locked the door to his apartment, stepped across the hall, knocked two times and put the container on the floor in front of the door. He was halfway down the steps when he heard Ten's door open. He smiled as he rushed down the stairs and out of the building.

"Hey!"

Taeyong's legs tangled under him and he almost went sprawling forward onto his face. He caught himself and jerked around toward the building.

Ten had his head sticking out of the window at the front of his apartment. It was directly across from the window seat where Taeyong sat every day. He could imagine Ten perched on his own window seat to lean out the window. He wondered how he got the screen out of his window.

"Did you do this?"

"Do what?"

Ten held the container of kimbap out the window.

"Maybe it was Mrs. Collins!"

"I still haven't met her. I'm not convinced you didn't make her up."

Taeyong laughed. What a weird thing to say. Why did Ten have to be so weird and cute? "I haven't seen you all week, thought you might need some food. I had extra."

"There are a dozen rolls here. Why do you make enough food to feed an army? There's only one of you."

"Leftovers."

"Ah..." Ten sat on the window sill and opened the container. He shoved one of the rolls into his mouth whole. "Good!" He said, mouth full. He hung his arm out of the window and raised his thumb in the air. "Really good!"

"Thanks!"

"Thank _you_! Hey, where you headed? Can you come up for a minute? I want to talk to you but I don't want to shout down from his window anymore. I feel like a bird perched up here."

So weird.

And so cute.

Taeyong took a step toward the building, but his phone buzzing in his pocket stopped him. He pulled it out. Johnny was calling. He ignored the call and looked up at Ten, eating another roll.

"I'm sorry. I can't. I was on the way to take this food to my friend."

"Right. I'll return your dish tomorrow. Thanks again." Ten had shut the window before Taeyong could respond.

 

When Taeyong returned that evening, it was nearly ten-thirty. He found a small bag in front of his apartment door. He stooped to pick it. His dishes were inside along with a note. He walked into the apartment and closed the door behind him before he began to read the note.

_I decided to return these early. They're all clean... And I thought I could take the chance leaving them outside your door. If Mrs. Collins is a real person, I don't think she's the type to steal your dishes. -Ten_

Taeyong considered walking across the hall to confront Ten, to see what it was that he'd wanted to speak to him about earlier before Johnny's call had interrupted them.

It was late, though, and the last thing he wanted to do was wake Ten or interrupt him when he might be getting to bed. And maybe he didn't really want to talk to him. He had left the dishes with a note rather than bringing them over when he knew Taeyong would be home.

With a sigh, he put the dishes away and went to take a shower before bed.

The next morning, he was up early to prepare breakfast. He liked a traditional Korean-type breakfast usually, but he opted for a more American approach: waffles, bacon, and scrambled eggs. He made a little extra – always full of hope.

He had just sat down at the table when there was a quiet knock at the door. His heart fluttered, and he rushed to the door.

"Well, Mr. Lee. Why haven't I seen your face in recent days?"

Taeyong forced a smile for Mrs. Collins to mask his disappointment. "Mrs. Collins, I'm sorry. I think we've been missing each other."

"Well, I've been missing _you_! You haven't paid this old lady a visit in days!"

Taeyong chuckled softly. "Would you like to come in for breakfast? I've just finished and there's extra, of course."

"You're too kind."

Taeyong was happy to have a guest for breakfast and he adored his elderly neighbor, but he would have preferred Ten.

"We have a new neighbor," Mrs. Collins said after she'd finished the half waffle she requested and a bit of her eggs.

"I met him."

"Did you now?" There was a pitch to Mrs. Collins voice that said she was onto Taeyong. She knew he was gay, had known since he moved in – didn't mind a bit, much to Taeyong's surprise.

Taeyong blushed. "Yes. He's very nice."

"Nice looking! I saw him coming up the walk the other day when I was out in the garden with Muffin."

Muffin was Mrs. Collins' cat. The poor thing had passed on some eight years ago, but she had a little plaque in the garden, a place she could sit and remember her.

Taeyong blushed and laughed. "Mrs. Collins..."

"Oh, don't pretend you didn't notice." She waved him off.

"Okay... I admit that he's nice looking."

"What are you gonna do about it?" Mrs. Collins stole a piece of bacon that she wasn't strictly supposed to be eating (doctor's orders) from Taeyong's plate and nibbled at it.

"What do you mean?"

"Honey, I might not be a man, but I know what it's like to be attracted to one, believe it or not. Granny Collins used to go on dates! Mr. Collins and I had a standing dinner and a movie date every Friday until he passed on, God rest his soul."

Mrs. Collins was probably the most adorable person Taeyong had ever met – his own grandmother excluded, of course. He loved having her around. "I baked him some cookies," he finally admitted. "Made him dinner twice."

"Two dinner dates already!" She reached across the table and swatted his shoulder. "And you didn't think old Mrs. Collins would be interested in your good fortune. You're in trouble."

"Well... they weren't really dates."

"Nonsense! You had dinner with a boy twice. That's a date. At least the second one."

Taeyong stared down at his half-eaten waffle. "I didn't actually have dinner with him. I just took food to him. You know... Same as I take food to you."

Taeyong's head jerked up when another light swat hit his shoulder. "Boy! I am an old woman. I am your second grandma. You drop food off for me. That boy is a fine looking young man! You don't drop food off with him. You invite him over, light some candles, make a romantic evening of it!"

Mrs. Collins had the right idea but Taeyong wasn't sure how practical it was. "I don't know."

"You do know, because I'm telling you."

He laughed. "I'll think about it."

"Don't make me go around and get that boy. I'll play grandma matchmaker!"

"Oh, no, Mrs. Collins. That's not necessary." The last thing he needed was another friend of his intimidating Ten.

"You've been alone in this apartment but for that silly boy, Johnny, since you moved in here two years ago. You need to find yourself someone. Maybe the boy across the hall isn't your soul mate. But maybe he is. Who knows? No one... unless you try."

He saw Mrs. Collins out twenty minutes later with some leftover waffles, cream, and berries. "Thanks for joining me for breakfast."

"You remember what I said now." She pointed a bony finger at him and smiled affectionately.

Taeyong nodded and waved to her as she returned to her apartment. He made sure she was safely in her own apartment before he went back to his to wash up the dishes and start on his homework.

He spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon avoiding texts from Johnny and finishing up the homework he had neglected the rest of the week. When his stomach started to growl around 1:30, he put the books away and started to make lunch. Again, he opted for something far from his home dishes – grilled chicken sandwich wraps made with tons of vegetables and grilled chicken stuffed into a whole grain tortilla. He'd found the recipe on Pinterest a few months back.

His grill pan was just hot enough to add the chicken to it when someone knocked at the door. He considered making Johnny wait and putting the chicken on the grill but decided against it. He would only complain louder.

"I thought I should repay you!"

Taeyong stood a little straighter, putting on a smile on his face.

Ten stood in the hall with a bag of take-out in his hand.

"You brought me lunch?"

"Well... My lunch too. I thought maybe we could eat together." He grinned at him, flashing those adorable dimples. "You have given me food three times and all I ever give you in return is your own dishes."

"At least you clean them first," he said with a laugh. "Come in. I was just about to make lunch, but I'll save it for dinner."

"Oh, I don't want to intrude..." Ten glanced around as if looking for someone that might be joining him – Johnny.

"Oh, no. It's just me. I can make this for dinner. I appreciate you bringing food."

"It's take-out. I mean, obviously." He lifted the bag a little higher as if Taeyong could have missed it. "Chinese take-out, though. Delicious." He swung the bag side-to-side. "I had to guess at what you'd like, so I hope I got something close. Please tell me that you eat Chinese food."

"Of course, I do! I make a delicious stir fry."

"Of course, you do." Ten laughed and shook his head. "I think you're a cooking wizard."

Taeyong laughed and waved him inside, letting Ten close the door so he could turn off the stove and put away the food he had intended to cook.

"What were you cooking?"

Taeyong sensed Ten close to him, just over his right shoulder. When he turned, Ten was leaning toward him, trying to get a look over his shoulder at the food he gathered off the counter. He inched away, opening the refrigerator effectively hiding behind the open door.

"Chicken wraps. Grilled chicken and vegetables inside a whole grain tortilla."

"Aw, that sounds so good! I'm starving." Ten rubbed his stomach and Taeyong found himself wondering for a moment if it stomach was lined with hard muscle or if it would be squishy if he poked it.

Maybe both.

He bent further into the refrigerator to put things away to hide his blushed cheeks. "I can make extra tonight, if you'd like." He popped up again, still hiding behind the refrigerator door.

"You're too nice." Ten smiled and then walked to the table to unpack his bag of take-out. "Taeyong... Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure. Do you want something to drink, by the way? I have water, juice... I can make some tea."

"Water is fine for me."

Taeyong took out his filtered water pitcher and poured two glasses. He dropped a lemon wedge into his glass. When he offered Ten one, he shook his head quickly.

"I hate fruit."

"You hate fruit? Why?"

"I'm afraid of it."

"Why?"

"It's scary looking."

"I'm sorry." Taeyong removed a spoon from the drawer, fished out the lemon and threw it into the trash can.

"You didn't have to do that!"

"It's okay. I don't want you to be scared."

Ten smiled. "You think I'm weird, don't you?"

"No."

"Everyone does. It's okay."

"I don't. I mean, I don't really understand because I'm not afraid of fruit. But I'm afraid of germs and you can't even see them to know they're creepy looking."

Ten laughed. "You're really too nice, Taeyong."

Taeyong shook his head. "Nah. I don't think you can ever be too nice."

"Which just makes me want to say again that you're too nice."

"Okay, I'll take it then. Oh... What did you want to ask me?"

"Oh... Let me get the food out first." He arranged everything quickly on the table. "I got us different things. I thought we could share if you don't like them, but I guess we should separate them. I wouldn't want you to be worried about my germs."

Taeyong appreciated the thought and went to collect some extra little bowls. "You're the one being too nice now."

"Someone told me you can never be too nice."

Taeyong grinned as he took a seat, spooning out some chicken into a little dish. It looked like a sesame chicken, so he was sure he'd like it.

"That's my favorite," Ten said, spooning some broccoli and beef into a small bowl for himself. "But... ah, I wanted to talk to you about the other night."

Taeyong ate slowly. "Which night?"

The Johnny night. He was sure.

"When I intruded on you and... um, that other guy."

"My friend, Johnny."

"Yeah... Is he... your boyfriend?"

"No, he's not. He was just being stupid. He's not my boyfriend. We've been friends since we were five years old."

Ten arched a brow. "How does that work? I thought you recently moved here from Korea."

"He moved here first, and I followed to go to university with him. We met when we started school as kids."

Ten smiled and took a few bites before saying, "That's nice. I... was afraid I really interrupted something with your boyfriend."

Taeyong stared at him for a moment, wondering why he was so concerned about it. Would Ten judge him for being gay? In his experience, Thai people were more accepting of him being gay than Korean, but he knew that no matter the culture, not everyone was the same. "Would it... bother you... if Johnny was my boyfriend?"

"NO!"

Taeyong sat back, startled by Ten's exclamation.

"I mean..." Ten relaxed back against his chair. "Why would it bother me?"

"Not everyone is okay with... guys liking guys, you know?" He said it with a shrug like it wasn't a big thing. It was one of the biggest things, though. Taeyong hated homophobia. He hated bigotry of any kind. He would hate to think of Ten as a person like that.

"No, I'm... I'm not like that at all. I... Actually, I like guys, so..."

"You do?"

Ten made an affirming "mm" sound and nodded.

"I do as well... Just not Johnny." He rolled his eyes. "He's the biggest idiot I've ever met." His face softened, and he laughed lightheartedly. "He's a great guy, though. I couldn't ask for a better friend, most of the time. When he's not blurting out stupid things to my new neighbors and making them run away, that is."

Ten blushed and hid a smile behind his chopsticks, shoving some noodles into his mouth. When he spoke again, he changed the subject. "Do you like the food?"

"Oh, yes. It's good. Thank you again for bringing it. You really didn't have to. You don't have to pay me back for the food I give to you. I really always make too much food."

"Even if you do, you don't have to share it with me. You choose too... and I choose to repay your kindness. I only wish I could do that with something homemade and delicious like you give to me."

"One day, I'll persuade you to return to the kitchen and maybe you'll do just that."

"More likely I'd repay your kindness by burning down your apartment – or the whole building!"

Taeyong stared at him, sizing him up. "You know, Ten... I think you're just trying to be a bad boy with all this talk of starting fires. I don't think you're as dangerous as you put on."

"Oh, really? Just wait until you see me in action."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, after the last chapter, there were some comments about Johnny and Taeyong. I really never expected some of you to misunderstand Johnny's being an idiot. lol I never really meant for a lot to come of that. Johnny was just being an idiot. Sorry if any of you were disappointed by this chapter!
> 
> Please comment below and let me know what you think. I've only got one more chapter written now and I'm working on the fifth. If you have any requests for NCT members to add or ideas on where you'd like the fic to go from here, feel free to leave a comment. I can't guarantee I'll be able to follow every request/idea, but I'll give it a shot. I love to hear from you all. You're the best! xx


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Johnny is back to be an idiot, of course. It's what he's best at! And Taeten takes a step forward in their "relationship"... but Taeyong might mess it up...
> 
> If you've been reading this prior to the date this chapter was published, you may want to reread. There was some technical issue when I posted chapters 1-3 and half of the content was missing. They've been updated! Please read the fic in full now. I'm sorry!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Technical issues are ridiculous. I'm so frustrated. :( I hope you all enjoy. Please comment if you do.

“He really said that?”

Johnny sat across the counter from Taeyong at the little bakery/coffeehouse a few blocks over from Taeyong’s apartment building. Taeyong worked there as a baker/barista/delivery boy/janitor. Johnny ate there – for free, almost every day. He was convinced that Taeyong got free food, regardless of the thousand times Taeyong told him he did not get free food. Taeyong eventually gave up and just paid for Johnny’s food – a donut, usually, and a latte.

“Wait until you see me in action. Wah. This dude is just begging to get you naked. I can’t believe it. How did you get so lucky? I’m way hotter than you. I should be having sex with hot neighbors.”

“In your mom’s basement?” If Johnny was going to slam Taeyong for being less attractive, he could play the “you still live with your mother” card. He didn’t really care. If he still lived in Korea, he would still live with his parents.

“Shut up.” Johnny took a bite of his donut, sprinkles flying everywhere, frosting sticking to the corners of his mouth.

“You look like a mess, Johnny. Would you hurry up and finish that? I want to get out of here. I’ve been here since four this morning and I have a class in an hour.”

“I thought your class was at noon.”

“Yes, and it’s almost eleven.”

“But the bakery closes at ten…”

“Right unless there’s an idiot finishing a donut for three years at the counter. I locked the door, but I can’t leave with you here.”

“I don’t understand why you’re only open for four hours.”

“We make enough for the morning rush and that’s it.”

“How is that a business plan?”

“We do just fine.”

Johnny rolled his eyes. “I guess.”

“You don’t even have a job, Johnny. How are you going to bag on mine?”

“I don’t need to have a job to think yours is ridiculous.”

“I work hard, and you eat free here because of me. Watch your mouth and hurry up!” Taeyong swatted him with the towel he’d used to wipe the counter (around Johnny).

Johnny jumped up, scooping his donut off the counter. He’d long since finished his latte. Taeyong only allowed him one each. He couldn’t afford more than that. Especially not since he’d decided to take some baked goods to Ten on the days that he worked. Because his hours were so early, he only worked at the bakery on Monday and Wednesday.

“I’m going!” Johnny shouted. “I’m gonna give you a bad Yelp review!”

“Just try it. I know all your dirty secrets, Johnny.”

“Ouch! Who are you?! What has this little Thai minx done to you?”

Taeyong glared at him. “Do not ever call him that again.”

“I can’t help thinking he must be a minx to have this… effect on you. You’re so mean lately, so sassy. Did you already have sex with him?”

“Johnny! I’ve barely seen him! Of course, I haven’t… done that with him! We’re not even… We’re just neighbors. I don’t even know if I could call us ‘friends’ yet.”

Johnny rolled his eyes dramatically. “Why did I think you could just be a normal guy? Why did I think you could get into this guy’s pants without my help?”

Taeyong tossed the towel and his soiled apron into the bin that housed such things. He washed his hands quickly and took Ten’s scones from the counter. “Come on.” He shoved Johnny toward the door as he walked toward it. “I do not need your help. Do not help me. Do not even talk to him. I mean it, Johnny. Do not say a word to him.”

“Alright, alright. What is that?” Johnny pointed to the box in Taeyong’s hand which Taeyong juggled while he locked up.

“Scones.”

“Scones?”

“That’s what I said.”

“For the hot neighbor?”

“Yes.”

“What?! You won’t let me have more than one donut, but you’re taking him a box full of scones!”

“There are only four in the box, if that makes you feel better.”

“It doesn’t! I’ve been your best friend since we were five!”

“And I pay for your donuts and coffee every time I work.”

“I still think you get them free and you just want me to feel guilty.”

Taeyong rolled his eyes. Arguing with Johnny was pointless. “I’ll see you later, Johnny. I gotta get home.”

“I can give you a ride.”

“It’s two blocks. I’ll walk.”

Johnny nodded. His car was parked in front of the shop. He lived on the opposite side of town – no walking for him. “I’ll see you tomorrow, right? Mom wants you over for dinner. No making plans with your sexy Thai…”

“Don’t finish that.”

Johnny laughed like an idiot and climbed into his car.

 

Taeyong continued open. As fate would have it, Ten was coming up the opposite side of the walk when he reached the front of their building.

“Hey! Neighbor Taeyong!”

“Hey! Neighbor Ten!” Taeyong laughed. "You dyed your hair!"

Ten now had silver hair in place of the former pastel rainbow. He reached up to fluff his hair a little. "Yeah! I got it done this morning. The rainbow was really faded." His nose wrinkled in the cutest way and Taeyong's stomach fluttered.

"It looks nice." He reached up touch his own terribly faded hair. "I need to change mine as well."

"You should go pink!" Ten's eyes lit up and Taeyong knew his next hair color would be pink.

He smiled and decided a change of subject was in order before he blurted that he'd dye his hair whatever those twinkling eyes seemed to like. “I have something for you.”

Ten grinned. “Did you bring me food?”

“Am I that predictable?”

Ten nodded, but added, “Also… the box in your hand.”

“Ah, yeah.” Taeyong closed the small distance between them. “Scones for you. I work at a bakery two blocks over. I made these fresh this morning.”

“Ah, why are you so good to me?”

_Because you’re beautiful._

_And I want to take care of you._

“Ah, it’s nothing. I was baking for everyone else as well.”

“Sure, sure.” Ten’s grin said that he knew better, but he didn’t press it. He popped the box open and sniffed. “What kind of scones are these?”

“Well… we usually make fruit scones.” Taeyong watched as Ten’s face transformed, his eyes widening, brow arching. “But I knew that you wouldn’t like that, so I made these for you. They’re just plain scones with a little cinnamon and sugar and a light sugar cinnamon glaze over the top. I hope you like them.”

Ten’s face softened, and he smiled. “They sound delicious and I haven’t eaten yet, so I’ll enjoy these for a late breakfast.”

“I wouldn’t recommend eating all four of them in one meal!”

“Of course not, Silly,” Ten said with a laugh. “Do you want to join me for one?”

“I can’t. I already ate, and I have a class soon. Why didn’t you eat?”

“Class this morning ran late. I’m just getting home from a class that was supposed to end at ten.”

“You didn’t eat before?”

“Too lazy. I had to get up extra early to dye my hair.”

“You should take care of yourself.”

“Ah, I’ve always been better at taking care of others than myself.”

Taeyong had always been great at taking care of others. He'd taken care of his parents and even his older sister. He'd always wanted to find someone that would take care of him. He stopped himself when he began to wonder if Ten could be that person...

"Well..." He cleared his throat and put on a smile. "Eat those well. I need to get ready for my class."

"Sure!" Ten patted his shoulder as they turned to walk up the front walkway together. "Thanks again, Taeyong. You're really kind to bring me food all the time. And it's always such good food too."

Taeyong laughed. "I've had a lot of practice."

"Practice makes perfect. Isn't that what they say?"

"I'm not perfect." He opened the front door and ushered Ten inside first.

Ten walked inside and held up the box of scones while Taeyong followed him in and shut the door. "These look perfect!"

"Thank you! I hope they taste good as well."

Ten pulled one out to eat while they climbed the stairs to their floor. "They taste perfect too! You're a genius," he mumbled around a mouth full of scone.

"Oh, no. Thank you. I'm glad you like them."

"Mmhmm." He nodded. "Are you sure you don't want a bite?" He held what was left of his scone out to Taeyong.

Taeyong was usually weary of sharing food with others – germs and all – but he stopped walking and leaned over to take a little bite of the scone he'd prepared for Ten. "Ah, I am a genius."

Ten laughed. "I didn't think you'd take a bite. I only thought about your fear of germs after I offered."

"Ah, it's okay. You can't be scared all the time, right?"

They had resumed walking for a few moments when Ten said, "You're not going to try to get me to eat fruit, are you?"

"I wouldn't pressure you... But have you had watermelon? It's delicious."

"There are creepy black seeds in it." Ten made a disgusted face, his perfect nose wrinkling like a bunny.

Taeyong chuckled. Ten was so cute with his nose wrinkled like that. "Not always. If I brought you a watermelon without creepy black seeds in it, would you try it?"

Ten hummed, munching the rest of his scone and thinking over Taeyong's question as they climbed up their second flight of steps. "Maybe... Don't buy a whole one just for me, though."

"Nah, I would buy it for myself and just let you taste some. If you want. It's my favorite fruit."

"I might try it... Just for you."

"I don’t think you'll regret it, if you do. But no pressure."

They started up the final flight of stairs, and Ten fished another scone out of the box. "These are really the best. Do you make these to sell, this flavor, I mean?"

"Hmm... No. I might introduce them, though. They're pretty good. We usually make fruit scones like lemon-blueberry or cranberry-orange.”

“Ah… I would definitely pay for these.”

“Well, thank you. I’ll see about it.”

Ten finished off the scone and pulled his phone from his pocket. “Before you go, give me the name of the bakery so I can stop by.”

Taeyong took his phone and typed the name into the note that Ten had opened. He added the address and phone number as well. “You can call that number if you want to make an order.”

Taeyong wanted to offer his personal number but thought better of it.

Ten looked at the note when Taeyong handed his phone back. “Is this your number?”

Taeyong nearly swallowed his own tongue when Ten flicked his eyes upward, grinning at him.

Those cheeky dimples.

“It’s… the work number… The shop.”

Ten had the audacity to pout.

Taeyong felt queasy.

“What if I want to make a special order? The shop won’t know what I’m talking about?”

“I’ll…”

“Ah, goodie. You’ll give me your number.” He grinned and handed Taeyong his phone once more, the contacts open this time.

Taeyong had been about to say, "I'll be at the bakery on Monday and Wednesday for special orders," but this worked too. If Ten wanted his number, he wasn't about to fight him.

He quickly typed his number into Ten's contacts and handed the phone back to him. "You can text me any special orders."

"Sounds good. I'll see you around neighbor Taeyong."

Taeyong walked toward his apartment door. "You too, Neighbor Ten."

As soon as his apartment door closed behind him, Taeyong's cell phone buzzed in his back pocket.

A new text message from an unknown number.

**Unknown**

HEY NEIGHBOR. IT'S TEN!

Taeyong laughed at a second message that came a moment later – a string of various emojis ranging from smiley faces to unicorns and that weird pink and white rice cake thing.

So, Ten was that kind of texter... Somehow, that didn't surprise Taeyong in the slightest.

He programmed Ten's number into his phone and sent a quick acknowledgment text before he ran off to take a quick shower and head to class.

 

Taeyong loved school, he really did. Learning was something he'd pretty much always been good at.

But he _hated_ his calculus class.

He'd always been good at learning everything – except maths.

As he sat in the back of the classroom listening to the professor drone on about vertical and horizontal asymptotes – whatever those even are – his phone buzzed in his pocket. He eyed the professor before daring to pull it out. He held it under the desk to check an incoming text message.

**Ten**

Send me a selfie

**Taeyong**

Why??

**Ten**

For your contact photo!

**Taeyong**

Can't... I'm in class

**Ten**

Ooh... You're texting in class!

Naughty! ;)

Taeyong blushed and grinned at that last message.

"Mr. Lee, I've never seen someone give that look for asymptotes before. Would you care to come up and solve this equation? You look rather excited about the subject."

Taeyong groaned and slyly stuffed his phone into his pocket as he headed to the front of the class to be embarrassed.

 

**Taeyong**

 

**Ten**

Ahh! Why do you look angry?

**Taeyong**

Your txxt message got me in trouble

Text*

Ten sent five messages of various crying emojis, the praying hands, the praising hands, and two decidedly bummed out little guys hanging their heads.

Taeyong had to smile at that. Even if Ten did get him into sort of trouble, he was so cute!

**Ten**

I'm sorry, Neighbor Taeyong!

**Taeyong**

Why do you call me that? Lol

**Ten**

I have no idea...

More emojis followed as Taeyong took a seat on a bench outside the school building to continue his conversation with Ten. He couldn't walk home with his phone in his hand. He was liable to run into a tree or get run over by a bus.

**Ten**

Does it annoy you?

Does my texting annoy you?

A lot of people say I'm an annoying texter. :(

Also... Are you wearing a Gucci hat?

**Taeyong**

Neither thing annoys me.

Yes, I am.

It was a gift from my best friend.

Johnny's mom and step-father spoiled him absolutely rotten to make up for his absent biological father and the move from Korea. They would give him absolutely anything – the moon, if it was possible. Last year, he'd requested enough money to buy Taeyong something extravagant. Taeyong would have preferred a more practical gift but Johnny had been so proud of himself for getting Taeyong something so "awesome and stylish" that he wore it almost every day.

**Ten**

The not boyfriend?

**Taeyong**

Lol

Johnny is his name

**Ten**

You sure he's not your boyfriend?

**Taeyong**

Positive.

 

**Johnny**

Dude, I don't mean to be "crude" as you would say

But the dude wants to bone you

**Taeyong**

Well, thank you for not being crude...

And he does not

**Johnny**

Let's recount today's events...

He told you that you were perfect

He asked for your number

He asked AGAIN if I was boning you...

He wants to bone you

**Taeyong**

Please don't ever say the word bone again.

Not in any context.

And he did not ask that

He asked if you were my boyfriend because you stupidly told him you were!

I'm still going to kill you for that

**Johnny**

I'm real scared of you Tae.

And why would he ask when you already told him?

If he didn't want to do the thing I'm not allowed to say to you

Taeyong tossed his phone aside. He should be working on his stupid calculus assignment, not talking to dumb Johnny about dumb things.

He sighed.

Ten did not want to... do that to him.

He was sure of it.

So, what if he asked him for his number?

They were neighbors. If Ten was locked out, he might need to call Taeyong to let him in. If he needed to borrow a cup of sugar. If he wanted to request an order from the bakery.

There were so many logical, non-sexual, reasons that Ten could want his number.

Johnny was just an idiot. It was practically scientifically proven.

Taeyong groaned and went back to the calculus worksheet that he didn't understand.

 

When his stomach started to growl an hour later, Taeyong put away the calculus book and worksheets. It was time to eat. If he tried to do calculus while he was hangry, he'd probably throw himself off the roof.

He went into the kitchen and took out the ingredients he would need to make kimchi fried rice, one of his favorite foods. It was a comfort food for him, something his mother had prepared frequently when he was growing up.

The rice was near completion when he noticed is phone buzzing on the counter beside him.

**Ten**

Whatever you're cooking smells amazing

I assume it's you anyway

I can just smell food in my apartment

Taeyong enjoyed a lovely host of food emojis and heart-eyed ones before he responded.

**Taeyong**

It's me.

Kimchi fried rice

Do you want some?

It's almost done

**Ten**

Am I that transparent?

More heart eyes and food emojis followed. Taeyong didn't even realize that there were so many food emojis. Seriously, who used that weird pink and white swirly rice cake?

Taeyong knocked at Ten's door fifteen minutes later, a large covered bowl in his hands.

Ten answered with a grin. "Thank you so much! Come on in."

Taeyong stayed glued to the spot in front of Ten's apartment. He was not about to enter a place that was haunted. Ten hadn't displayed any signs of being possessed or complained of the usual haunting signs, but that didn't mean anything. Maybe the ghost was low-key.

Maybe it was a gay dude ghost and he had thing for Ten and had decided to spare his life.

Taeyong didn't know what gay ghosts did.

He just knew that ghosts, as a general rule, should be avoided.

"I just wanted to deliver this."

"Oh... You don't want to come in? That looks like a lot of food. We could split it."

"No... I'm good. I have more back at my place."

Ten took the bowl when Taeyong thrust it toward him. A frown tugged at the corners of his adorable mouth. "Oh... kay. Thanks for the food, though."

"It's no problem. I'm happy to make it for you any time."

Ten nodded and closed the door.

Well, that went well.

Taeyong sighed as he returned to his apartment.

How do you tell a guy that his apartment is haunted, and you don't want any part of that, but you most certainly do want any part of him?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I appreciate all of you and your comments. You're the best!! Please leave comments below, especially if you're taking the time to reread and actually get the entire fic. I appreciate you. I'm sorry that I didn't catch the error earlier. 
> 
> Thanks to my girl for pointing out that chapter three was super short! That's how I realized the error and corrected it. She's truly the best. <33


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Johnny decides that Taeyong needs to have a little fun! Taeyong is less than enthusiastic about this. 
> 
> New faces in this chapter... ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!! Thanks to everyone who has read and left comments! Especially if you read and then re-read because the chapters were a mess. I appreciate you all.
> 
> Most of all, thank you so much to Ana who has inspired this fic and others and who encourages me to keep writing. Thank you so much! I appreciate you more than you know. <33

The following day, Taeyong hadn't gotten a "neighbor Taeyong" or emoji-filled text message from Ten all day. It's phone felt lonely and empty without the cute messages. It had only been a day of messaging, but already he was accustomed to it. He wanted to hear from Ten throughout his day, to feel that smile that spread across his face only when Ten was involved somehow.

How had Ten done such a quick job of getting under his skin?

He was smitten.

On his way home from his last class of the evening, he stopped by the market close to home and purchased a large watermelon. They were heading out of season and he snatched up the second to last one at the market. Soon it would be October and pumpkins would be everywhere. Taeyong learned how to make pumpkin pie from Mrs. Collins and baked at least twenty the previous year. To say he was obsessed with the pie would be an understatement. He wondered if Ten would like it...

Taeyong hefted the watermelon up three flights of stairs to their floor and juggled it, balanced it against his hip, and nearly dropped it getting into his apartment.

When he finally made it to the counter and dumped it off, he felt a strange sense of triumph.

He made quick work cutting the melon into large slices and then small squares. Small, perfectly pink juicy squares with no white or green rind would surely be appetizing to Ten and cure him of his fruity fear.

Feeling another sense of triumph, he packed up a large container of perfect little squares, washed his hands, and set out to take the melon to Ten. He was sure he would love it. It smelled delicious and tasted even better – he'd eaten at least ten squares while he chopped.

As soon as he opened the door, he was greeted with the pleasant sight of Ten's back, heading into his apartment. He opened his mouth to call out to him, but another boy suddenly loped into his line of side. Flopping golden blond hair, nice thin build, long arms.

"Tennie!"

Deep voice.

Taeyong heard and "oof" from Ten when the tall boy attacked him from behind.

"Xu Xi, you gotta stop jumping on me! You're gonna kill me." Ten's laugh tinkled like someone had run their fingers over the highest notes on a piano.

"Ah, but I love you so much. I can't take my hands of you!"

Taeyong watched, mortified, as Ten struggled through the doorway of his apart with this ridiculous "Xu Xi" on his back. He watched as "Xu Xi" kicked the door closed behind them, his deep laughter mingling with Ten's beautiful high notes.

He hated Xu Xi already.

 

"What a dick, though."

"Johnny, I don't care for that language. How many times have I told you?"

"Sorry, Mom, but he's a..." Johnny paused when his mother glared and pointed a finger at him. "Not nice person," he finished.

"He's not anything like that, Johnny. He just... I mean, how can I even be upset? It's not like we're dating or something."

Johnny glared at his best friend. "Uh, we discussed this. I told you how he felt about you." Johnny was an idiot, but Taeyong knew he wouldn't say "boned" in front of his mother even if he had just said "dick."

"Apparently, you were wrong."

"How about we leave this discussion for later, boys? Dinner is ready. Let's eat." Johnny's mother gave Taeyong's shoulder a gently squeeze as she passed him with a casserole dish. "I am sorry, Taeyong-ah."

"It's okay. Thank you. Can I carry that for you?"

"I've got it, dear. Thank you for offering, though. I have a son, but he doesn't seem to remember that sometimes."

"So sorry, Mother Dearest. Can I carry the casserole for you?"

"Don't be a smart mouth, Johnny. No one likes a smart mouth."

"But mom, you always told me it was good to be smart."

Johnny's step-father came into the kitchen then and wagged a finger at him. "Johnny, watch it now. Your mother is going to get you. Taeyong, Son, how are you?"

"Good, Mr. Park. I'm good, thank you."

Dinner with Johnny's parents always made Taeyong homesick. They were truly his second family and he loved them as much as his blood relatives, but he missed his family back home. His mother, sister, grandparents.

As they went around the table, sharing stories from their day and recent accomplishments or struggles, he wondered how his family was doing back home. He texted, called, even sent long emails to his mother detailing his weeks, but it wasn't quite the same as hearing his mother's laughter, watching his sister imitate the children that she taught in her second-grade classroom, and smelling the familiar scent of home.

After dinner, Taeyong offered to clean up, but Johnny's mother refused his help as she almost always did.

"You two go out and do something fun. You need a smile on your handsome face." She dried her hands that were washing dishes and leaned over to kiss his cheek. She planted one on Johnny as well that he pretended to be put out by, but secretly loved.

"Mom's right," Johnny said as he and Taeyong left the kitchen. "We should go out and do something."

Taeyong was familiar with Johnny's brand of "something." It usually wasn't Taeyong's style. He'd prefer to stay home with a book or anime, cooking a good meal. Johnny liked to go to parties and clubs.

"My cousin is working tonight at The Rooster Bar." Johnny nudged his arm. "We should totally go."

The Rooster Bar was an all-ages gay club downtown. They were known for the "look the other way" policies on just about everything. They served almost everyone as long as they looked somewhere close to the legal drinking age which Taeyong had to admit, he thought was a little old. He preferred Korea's drinking age. Nineteen was old enough. But he also liked to respect laws. He didn't want anything to tarnish his record.

Johnny seemed to enjoy tempting the universe to vomit all over his record.

Somehow, he got away with everything though, which is probably why he chose to push it so often.

"Johnny, I don't think I want to go to the Rooster Bar."

"Yes, you do. But first you want to go dye your hair pink like you talked about, so you look like the perfect little twink that you are."

"Do not..."

"Shh... Shh..." Johnny patted his head and Taeyong swatted his arm away. "Just let your good pal, Johnny show you a good time."

"That sounded really sleezy."

"Aww, you know I didn’t mean it that way." Johnny smirked and threw a wink his way.

"Wink at me again and I'll poke your eye out."

"Harsh little twink."

Taeyong lunged for him. Johnny ran and Taeyong chased him out of the house, shouting after him.

 

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this." Taeyong stared at himself in the mirror at the salon. His hair was a bright shade of pink. "I didn't want it to be this bright." He tugged at it as if that would magically drain some of the neon color.

"You heard the girl. It will fade to a lovely cotton candy princess look in two washes. But until then you'll be a big gay beacon!"

Taeyong punched him in the arm. Johnny hissed and rubbed it while he laughed loudly at his friend.

"Come on. We're going to The Rooster Bar. You are going to drink whatever my cousin hands you and forget all about that bitch across the hall."

"Johnny, not three days ago, you were trying to coach me on how to get into his pants. How times change."

"Well, he's obviously let some tall, deep-voiced jerk into his pants. Therefore, you will find some new pants in which to insert yourself."

"In which to insert myself... Stop trying to sound intelligent. You just sound like an idiot."

"You wound me, Taeyong." Johnny grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the salon. "I try to help you out, get you a man, and this is how you repay me. I should sue you."

"On what grounds?" Taeyong spouted.

"The grounds of you're a jerk friend that doesn't appreciate everything I do for you."

"Okay... First of all, that's not something you can sue me for. And... I do appreciate you. I just hate gay bars and I hate my hair." He tugged at his neon pink locks again.

"Do you want to go home and wash it? We can wash out some of the color and get you well on your way to cotton candy princess."

"No..."

"You do. Come on. We'll go. You need to change your shirt anyway. You're not wearing a Polo shirt to The Rooster Bar."

 

"Johnny, I am not wearing this."

Taeyong walked out of Johnny's bathroom, towel-drying his now lighter pink hair, to find his best friend holding a sheer tank top.

"Of course not. This would never fit you correctly. I'm wearing it. You're wearing _this_!" Johnny tossed the tank in favor of a black top with slashes of sheer fabric criss-crossed over the front and back.

"Johnny, no."

"Johnny, yes. Get your tiny ass into this shirt, now, Taeyong."

"Don't talk to me like that, and no."

"YES. DO IT. You're going to put this on, go to the club, make out with five guys, and stumble into your building wearing this and the scent of those five guys and let your jerk neighbor know what he's missing."

"A sheer shirt and five gross guys? I'm pretty sure he'd be glad to miss out on that."

"Why must you be this way? Put the damn shirt on, Taeyong. Don't make me force you."

"Why do you have to be like this? I prefer the idiot friend that tries to force me to interact with the hot neighbor not this."

"Yeah, yeah. Get over here."

"NO!" Taeyong ran, leaping over his bed to get away from him, but Johnny caught him before he could get through the door.

He was so loud wrestling Taeyong to the ground to change his shirt that his mother yelled up to see if everything was alright. "We're fine, Mom!" He shouted as he nearly strangled Taeyong to get the shirt on him.

"You look great."

Taeyong looked like a drowned rat, his wet hair sticking out in all directed, that had been sucked up into a cyclone and shot back out. "I should kill you."

"But you won't because you love me too much! Let's go!"

"I don't want to leave the house wearing this."

"Do you want to return to your house with a man?"

"Not really."

"Wrong answer! The right answer is always 'Yes.' 'Yes, Johnny, I would like a hot man to come home and sleep with me tonight. Thank you so much for being a great friend.' Aww, you're welcome, Tae. Come on!"

 

When Taeyong begrudgingly walked (was dragged, to be honest) through the front door of The Rooster Bar, he let out a loud groan. The music was too loud, lights were pulsing everywhere, and the place smelled like sweat and desperation.

And everyone was covered in too much glitter and too few items of clothing.

Johnny dragged him further into the club, passing a couple doing things Taeyong probably wouldn't do in the privacy of his own home – on the dance floor.

"Wow," Johnny barked at the same time that Taeyong said, "Gross."

Johnny clapped him on the back and then took hold of his shoulder. "Bar!" He shouted over the ear-shattering music.

Taeyong nodded in reply because he had given up hope that there might be a way to turn back.

"MARK!"

Mark turned at the sound of his cousin's loud voice. The music was softer near the bar to make drink ordering easier. Mark dropped the towel he had been using to dry a glass and jogged to the end of the bar.

"Johnny! Hey!" He wrapped his arms around his cousin's neck. "What's up?"

Taeyong had slid behind him in the false hope that he might slip away while Johnny was occupied with Mark... but Mark caught sight of him, of course. "Taeyongie! Hey!" He gestured for Taeyong to come up and get a hug.

Mark was twenty-two, in his last year at university (studying business) and worked at The Rooster Bar four nights a week to help pay tuition. He once told Taeyong and Johnny that he made enough tips in a year to fully pay his tuition.

That happens when you're a hot guy, not afraid to show a little skin and do a little flirty in a place full of guys (at varying stages of drunkenness) that love hot guys.

Taeyong would never be outgoing enough to tend bar. At a gay bar or otherwise.

"How are you guys? You want a drink? Let me get you a drink. Tae, you're still into the fruity drinks, right? Something blended, hmm?" Mark wasn't being condescending or judgmental about Taeyong's choice of drink, but Taeyong still stiffened a little.

"I'm good. I'll just take a water."

"He'll take a water and I'll take a beer and something fruity and blended." Johnny winked at his cousin who rolled his eyes and twirled away to get their drinks together.

"I'm not drinking that."

"Oh, but you are. Don't make me force feed you."

"It's a drink. You can't feed it to me."

"I'll find a way. Don't push me, Tae. You need to loosen up and have a good damn time. Stop being so... you."

"Gee, Johnny. You make a guy feel loved."

"You know I love you and that's why we're out tonight." Johnny ran his fingers through Taeyong's pink locks. "I want you to be happy."

"I don't usually find happiness at the bottom of a glass."

"I'm not suggesting that you need to drink to have fun, Taeyong. I'm just suggesting that you live a little."

"This is not what I call living, Johnny."

"Fine, then. Just hang out with me because I'm your best friend and I love you."

Taeyong hesitated but then gave Johnny a short nod. He was his best friend, and he knew he was only trying to help him feel better. He would have one drink, chat with Johnny and Mark, and then make some excuse to get home. He would not dance or interact with people he didn't know.

 

Twenty minutes later, Johnny was dragging Taeyong onto the dance floor and shoving him against some guy he didn't know.

"Johnny, knock it off," Taeyong growled, moving closer to his friend.

Johnny wore his patented smirk. "What? It's a crowded dance floor."

"It's not _that_ crowded. You know exactly what you're doing."

"The guy's pretty hot, though," Johnny murmured into Taeyong's ear whilst simultaneously grinding against his friend and pushing him toward the guy behind him.

Taeyong gave him a shove and weaved through the crowd back to the bar.

Johnny winked at the actually really attractive guy – what a loss for Taeyong – and headed back to the bar.

"That guy was really hot."

Taeyong looked up from the drink Mark had just placed on the bar for him – a virgin daiquiri, so Johnny would think he was drinking. "Good for him."

Johnny frowned. "I'm sorry, Tae. I'm just trying to get you to have a good time."

"I don't want to have a good time here! I want to leave." Taeyong groaned when he spotted the guy from the dance floor, who actually was pretty hot, sidle up behind Johnny at the bar.

"You're not leaving. Mark just brought you another drink. Loosen up!"

"No more dancing and I mean it."

"Fine. No more dancing."

Taeyong spent the next fifteen minutes watching the guy from the dance floor try to unsuccessfully get his friend's attention while Johnny was busy pointing out every guy on the dance floor that he thought worthy of Taeyong's attention. Johnny must have thought him completely desperate for he pointed out almost _every_ guy on the floor.

"Hey, look at that guy that just walked in. Huge eyebrows, but look at that face."

Taeyong turned to follow the trajectory of Johnny's outstretched arm. His eyes landed on the guy he'd seen attacking Ten at his apartment. He muttered a curse word and turned back, smacking Johnny's arm down. "That's the guy."

"Yes! You finally get it. Alright, so how are we doing this? You want me to..."

"Johnny, no. I mean that is _the_ guy, the guy that was with Ten at his apartment."

Johnny's face twisted. "Wait, what? Hell no. You can't date him."

"You think?" Taeyong rolled his eyes.

"Oh, hell. He has that Thai minx with him."

Taeyong couldn't help spinning to see Ten. He looked gorgeous, as always, in a tight black shirt and tighter jeans, clinging to the other guy as they weaved to the crowd. They were headed for the bar, he just knew it.

"I gotta go. I don't want to see him."

"No, Tae."

"They're coming for the bar. I'm leaving."

Johnny turned around, grabbing the guy from the dance floor. "You wanna make out with a hot guy?"

"Hmm..." A smile quickly replaced the startled look on his face. "Yeah..."

Johnny hauled him up at the same time that Taeyong scrambled off his bar stool. He watched as Ten and the guy with the eyebrows drew nearer to the bar. Any second their eyes would land right on them.

Johnny grabbed his friend and Dance Floor Guy and dragged them together. "Kiss," he said, shoving them together.

The two bumped heads and their mouths connected by accident. Johnny watched as Ten caught sight of the "kissing" pair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave comments if you enjoyed this new chapter!
> 
> Thanks to everyone who suggested other members to add to the fic! Hope you like the new additions. I wanted them to be a surprise, so I'll add their tags later! :) If you have other members that you'd like to see, feel free to leave a comment. I'll see what I can do.
> 
> Likewise, if you have any plot requests/ideas, feel free to leave them. I can't guarantee they'll make it into the fic, but I'll try. I appreciate you all! Thanks again!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the gay bar... Xu Xi makes a mess. Well, a bigger mess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for everyone that has commented! I really appreciate the comments and the kudos! I hope that you'll continue to love this fic as long as I keep it going!
> 
> And, as always, thanks so much to the girl that inspires me every day to keep writing this and all my other fics. <3

Ten halted to a stop when he spotted Taeyong. He had dyed his hair pink just like he wanted to… It was definitely his neighbor… kissing another guy.

“What are you doing, Tennie?” Lucas glanced back at his friend when he realized he was no longer beside him.

Ten stared at Taeyong kissing the other guy, not the friend that was he was sure was more than a friend. That was a relief. At least this was some unknown guy, but still he thought that he and Taeyong had been getting closer. They had sent numerous texts, flirting – or so Ten thought. He was sure they were well on the way to having a real date.

But then Taeyong had refused to join him for dinner at his place and now this.

He turned quickly and started to walk away from Lucas and the scene before them. He should have seen the signs. He should have known.

Lucas rushed after him, shoving through the crowd of dancing men to get to his friend.

 

Taeyong broke away from the random guy as soon as he could get his wits about him. He was too stunned to move for a few moments. When he finally did, he whirled on his best friend. “What the hell, Johnny?”

Johnny threw his hands up in surrender.

“Why would you do that?”

Johnny turned when the other guy spoke. “You said you wanted to kiss a hot guy. Wish granted.”

“I thought you meant you!”

“Johnny...”

Johnny waved Taeyong off. “Shh… The adults are talking.” He turned back to the random guy. “You thought what now?”

“I’ve been trying to get your attention all night. I wanted to kiss you, not have my face shoved against your friend’s.”

“I’m sorry,” Taeyong said a little louder than before in a effort to be acknowledged. “I’m leaving.”

Johnny huffed when Taeyong started to stomp away. “I… have to go after him. My cousin’s the bartender. Get my number from him. Actually…” He looked around. Mark was at the opposite end of the bar, mixing a drink. “Mark! Give this guy my number!”

Mark held up his thumb in understanding, and continued to mix a drink for the customer waiting in front of him.

Johnny ran after Taeyong, catching him near the bathroom door. “Hey, where are you going?”

“Home.”

“What are you talking about? We’re supposed to be having fun…”

“I don’t think kissing or bumping faces with random strangers is fun. I don’t think any of this is fun and I tried to tell you that. I’m going home.”

“Why do you care about that asshole? Just stay. Who cares if he’s here? It’s a big bar. There are plenty of guys.”

“I don’t want any guys, okay? I don’t want to be here. I’m leaving.”

“I’ll come with you.”

“Nah, stay. I’m just going home to sleep anyway.”

“I drove.”

“I’ll get a cab.”

“Are you sure?”

“Go. I’m fine.”

Taeyong walked away before Johnny could respond. Johnny watched him walk away, considered going after him, but ultimately walked back to the bar.

“Didn’t think you’d be returning so soon…”

Johnny slid onto the barstool beside Dance Floor Guy. “I’m full of surprises.”

“Hmm…” Dance Floor Guy slid closer to him. “Your friend okay?”

Johnny nodded, sliding his leg between the other man’s legs. “He’s gone home.”

“That sounds like a good idea.” The man leaned in, whispering in his ear. “My place is just down the street…”

 

Taeyong took a cab home, ran a hot bath, started an audiobook and went to sleep with earbuds in, determined to forget about Ten and his stupid… whatever-he-was. Johnny’s stupid idea of a good time, the random guy… The whole night.

When Ten returned home with Lucas, he let Lucas help him out of his clothes, into sleep clothes, and into to bed. Lucas stripped and climbed in behind him, cuddling him close. He explained to Lucas that Taeyong was the guy he always talked to Lucas about – the awkward neighbor that brought him food all the time, the neighbor he had a crush on, the neighbor that apparently made out with random guys at gay bars. Or had a boyfriend that he made out with at gay bars. The guy could have only been random to Ten.

Either way, it was clear that he had not intended to make out with Ten as Ten had fooled himself into believing they might do one day.

Even with the long arms of his best friend wrapped tightly around him and Lucas’ deep voice whispering reassurances in his ear, when sleep finally came, it was fitful.

 

When Taeyong awoke the next morning, his heart felt heavy. He hadn’t realized how much he’d started to like Ten in such a short time. If he thought back to the first time he’d seen Ten, riding up to the building on his little moped – floppy rainbow hair and a darling smile – he realized it was likely love at first sight.

Love at first sight for him and apparently nothing for Ten.

He meant nothing to him.

He was certainly little more than a speck of dust compared to the tall, broad, deep-voiced boy that tackled him with hugs and kisses.

The boy that could touch him a way that Taeyong had only considered when he let himself daydream of what _could_ be, what _might_ be with Ten.

What would never be, because Ten obviously felt nothing for him.

He was nothing, but the fool who brought him food.

He was a takeaway restaurant without the hassle of actually placing an order.

He was intent on staying in bed all day. No classes, no work. He could wallow in despair for the lost love that he never really had to lose in the first place and no one could say anything to him.

Until someone had the damned audacity to knock at his front door.

The soft knock told him it was likely Mrs. Collins. Otherwise, he’d have stayed in bed where the covers were pulled over his head along with a shroud of self-pity.

“Did I wake you, dear?” Mrs. Collins wore a smile too bright for Taeyong’s mood. He didn’t have the strength to match it.

“No, no. What can I do for you, Mrs. Collins?”

Her smile shifted then into something less than a frown, but no longer befitting the term, “smile.” Her brow furrowed as well.

A grimace, perhaps.

“Nothing to do for me, Taeyong. I just wanted to invite you to breakfast, to repay your kindness.”

“Oh, I…”

“I won’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”

He knew she wouldn’t. He shouldn’t have bothered to try.

 

Ten minutes later, it was still too early and too depressing for him to be out of bed, but he was seated at Mrs. Collins' small kitchen table with a plate of eggs and toast in front of him.

Mrs. Collins' kitchen looked like nothing Taeyong had ever seen before. There were cats everywhere. Not real cats. Cats on decorate plaques on the walls, cats on towels, wash cloths, decorative spoons (?). He didn't know decorative spoons were a thing.

But it was all very Mrs. Collins. Cozy and sweet.

She served him a cup of milk in lieu of coffee. She doesn't "touch the stuff," she told him when she first met him. He had been carrying a cup from Starbucks at the time which made it a perfectly reasonable thing for her to say on their first meeting.

His Starbucks cup had contained chai tea, but he didn't correct her.

"Thank you for breakfast, Mrs. Collins."

She eyed him from across the table, nodding rather than offering an actual reply. "What's wrong with you, my dear?"

"Hmm..." His mouth was full of scrambled egg. When he swallowed it down, he offered a better response. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong." Well... perhaps no better, but at least there were actual words.

"Young man... I can see clearly that something is wrong. Spill it. Is this about the young man across the hall?"

"Yes..."

"You've confessed your feelings for him and..."

"I don't..." Taeyong cut off when she narrowed her eyes at him. "I haven't confessed anything," he muttered.

"Is that the problem? You don't know how to confess. It's quite simple, my dear. You say, 'Hello...' Oh, what's his name?"

"Ten."

The wrinkled skin between her eyes managed to wrinkle even more. "Ten?"

"It's a... He's Thai. It's a thing."

"Hmm... Alright, well, you say... 'Hello, Ten...'" She shook her head as if she still couldn't wrap her head around that being a young man's name and continued, "'Ten, I have feelings for you. I'd like to take you to a film or out for a milkshake. And in future, I'd very much like to kiss you.'" She raised her arms and shoulders and brought them down again swiftly. "That's it. That's all. It's easy as that."

Easy as that.

How was that anywhere near the realm of "easy?"

Maybe in the days when Mrs. Collins was dating, but things were different then. People probably weren't even allowed to be gay back then and if they were, they didn't maul each other in apartment doorways for the whole world to see while the guy that's pining for one of them stands there watching his dreams for the future crumble.

Taeyong's hands tightened into fists as he recalled for the millionth time the scene he'd witnessed in Ten's doorway.

He could still hear the way that the boy had referred to Ten as "Tennie" like he was some little boy.

"Is that not the problem?"

Taeyong jolted when Mrs. Collins' small wrinkled hand closed over one of his tight fists that rested on the table beside his plate.

"I... No. He's... I saw him with another guy."

"No! I told you not to delay, boy! Was he kissing him?"

"Well... No."

"What were they doing?"

"Well, the guy was kind of hugging him from the back and he told him he loved him."

Mrs. Collins waved in the air like she was batting away a swarm of insects. Her face was twisted. "Oh, no, no. Come now! That sounds likes two boys romping about! When my little Charlie was a boy, he would hug his little friends all the time."

"They're not little boys."

"Nonsense. I demand that you confront this Ten across the hall. If they weren't kissing, there's nothing to be worked up about. Go get yourself cleaned up and get over there."

"I..."

"Don't be ridiculous, Taeyong. You like this boy. I can tell that much. You go tell him how you feel. You talk to him. I mean that. Now, tell me you're going to do it. You can't lie to your second grandma."

Taeyong frowned. "I don't think..."

"I didn't ask you to think. I asked you to speak and do."

"I'll do it." He wasn't sure she was right about this, but maybe she was.

Maybe.

Johnny was constantly jumping on him. Hugging him, kissing him even.

And he loved him. They loved each other.

It was reasonable that this tall, deep-voiced, admittedly very attractive man was just his friend.

After all, those descriptors could be applied to Johnny and he was just Taeyong's friend.

 

He left Mrs. Collins' apartment ten minutes later feeling confident. He was sure that this was a misunderstanding and he was going to talk to Ten. He was going to tell him that he liked him, and they should date. He would even take him to breakfast. He'd finished off what Mrs. Collins had given him, but it hadn't been much, and he'd eat again if it meant a date with Ten.

He showered, put on a tight pair of dark skinny jeans and a pink t-shirt that almost perfectly matched his cotton candy hair which he'd styled to look like he hadn't styled it at all.

He took a deep breath to calm the anxiety that attempted to creep up his spine again and opened his door. He was doing this. That guy was just a friend and he was going to tell Ten how he felt.

He might even join Ten for breakfast in his apartment haunted by a gang of gay ghosts.

He was feeling _that_ confident.

He straightened his shirt, gave his pink hair a pat, and knocked firmly on the door.

A few seconds passed – no answer...

No worries. It was still rather early. Perhaps Ten was still sleeping.

He knocked again, a little louder.

He heard a rustling sound inside the apartment and jumped.

The ghosts!

Or... Ten coming to answer the door.

He let out a huff of breath he hadn't realized he had been holding and shook his head. How stupid...

The door swung open.

In the doorway stood a tall, golden blond-haired boy with golden skin to match, wearing absolutely nothing but a loose pair of light blue boxer shorts.

Taeyong felt the air rush out of his lungs like he'd just fallen from a great height and landed smack on the pavement.

"Hey..." The boy lifted his brows and grinned at him. "How can I help you?"

Taeyong gaped at him.

The boy chuckled, a low gravelly sound that seemed to rise up from the very bottom of the man's stomach. "You looking for Ten?"

Taeyong nodded dumbly.

The boy leaned over on the door jamb. His long limbs seemed to sprawl everywhere. "We had... a pretty wild night last night. I left him in bed. Do you want me to wake him?"

Taeyong shook his head and practically sprinted across the hall to hide in his own apartment.

"Who was that?" Ten appeared in the living room, hair disheveled, wearing his sleep pants and top – both dark blue with tiny white polka dots spread out over them.

Lucas shut the door, chuckling in the gravelly, depths-of-his-stomach way. "Your neighbor."

"What neighbor?" His heart lurched into his throat at the thought of gorgeous pink-haired Taeyong and the previous evening.

"The one that likes to make out with random guys at gay bars. Don’t worry. I led him to believe that we slept together last evening."

"You did WHAT?!"

"He had you broken up last night. I let him believe that I slept in your bed for a reason other than holding you while you thought I didn't know you were crying."

"I wasn't crying."

"I think you were crying."

"I wasn't!"

He was.

Just a little.

"You can do better than that dude anyway. I mean, what is up with that look? The pink hair? Please."

"Lucas..."

"Ten…” Lucas mocked him.

Ten planted his hands on his narrow hips. “I have to go talk to him.” He started back to his bedroom.

Lucas rushed after him. “Whoa, what? Why are you going to talk to him?”

“Because…” Ten stopped in the doorway to his bedroom and leaned against the door jamb. “I don’t want him to think that I’m sleeping with you.”

“Why do you care? He probably slept with that guy from the bar.”

 

“Dude, you are never going to believe this!” Johnny grabbed Taeyong when the latter arrived at the front door to his place.

When Johnny called him, Taeyong had been wallowing in self-pity and absolute hatred for Ten’s gorgeous bedmate. He had attempted to tell Johnny where he could stick his cheery greeting and phone call, but Johnny insisted that he come over.

“If you haven’t discovered an alien species or given birth to a litter of kittens, I’m punching you in the face.”

“What are you even talking about?” Johnny dragged him up to his bedroom and shut the door behind them.

“I didn’t want to leave my house. I didn’t want to leave my _bed_ , but you insisted that you had the best news ever. Why am I here?”

“What is wrong with you? Oh, shit. Is this still about that asshole neighbor of yours? Who even cares about him?”

“I care about him, Johnny! That’s the point!”

“I had sex with that guy at the bar last night.”

Taeyong’s face twisted. “What?”

“The guy from the bar that you kissed.”

Taeyong slapped him across the face.

Johnny gaped at him, holding his stinging cheek. “What the hell, Tae?”

“You went out and had sex with some random guy after you made me go out and have the worst night ever!” He raised his hand to smack Johnny again, but Johnny batted it away.

“Fuck, Tae. I said I’d come with you. You told me to stay.”

“You’re an idiot. I don’t even know why I came here.”

“Tae…” Johnny reached for him when he started to walk away.

“Fuck you, Johnny. You ruined everything. You made Ten think I had feelings for you which probably drove him into the arms of that hot asshole and then you made me kiss that guy you fucked last night, so he really thought I didn’t like him. So, he went home and fucked that guy!”

“How do you know what he did?”

“Because I went to his apartment this morning to talk to him and the guy answered the door half naked talking about their ‘wild night’ and offering to get Ten from the bed he left him in.”

“The guy’s full of shit.”

“What?”

“No one says ‘wild night.’ He’s full of shit. He was trying to piss you off.”

“He was still half naked. They fucked and it’s all your fault.”

“I really don’t think they fucked. I’m a bullshitter, Tae. I can see another bullshitter from a mile away. That guy’s full of it.”

“Whatever. I’m leaving. Have fun fucking that random guy.”

“His name is Taeil.”

Taeyong whirled on him. “I don’t care what his fucking name is!” He shoved Johnny. “Don’t fucking call me again.”

He left feeling worse than when he arrived. His self-loathing was at all-time high.

There was only one thing to do…

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was kind of intense!! I was actually sad writing some of it. TT I can't wait to see what you all have to say about it!! Please leave comments below! I love you all!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taeyong is trying to sort himself out after his fight with Johnny and the heartbreak of losing his shot with Ten. Also Tennie needs some comfort...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First - I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK FOREVER TO UPDATE!!
> 
> I have been working a lot, stressed out, and sad tbh. But here's a little something. It's not much, but I hope you all will like it! The next update should not take as long, I hope. Again, I'm so sorry!
> 
> Thanks to everyone who left the most wonderful, sweet, encouraging comments. You're all wonderful!!
> 
> Saving the best for last - thanks so much to the person this fic is gifted to! Without you, I don't even know. You give me so much inspiration and the most helpful ideas. <33333

Taeyong returned home from Johnny’s apartment, still angry, but mostly just upset. He’d lost the guy he’d had a crush on (read: fallen in love with) and his best friend.

He was probably being hard on Johnny, but he couldn’t help laying a lot of the blame for this mess on him. Johnny had been sabotaging his relationship with Ten from the start, whether intentionally or not, he couldn’t be sure. He didn’t want to think that Johnny would purposefully ruin what could be a great relationship, but Johnny had said he was afraid of losing him. The fear of losing his friend could have driven him to ruin the relationship.

Guilt stabbed at his heart. Johnny had been so honest with him about losing him and now… Taeyong had left him.

He let out a sigh as he walked to the refrigerator. He couldn’t let guilt drive him back to Johnny. Johnny had to learn that he couldn’t be this stupid all the time and get away with it.

 

 Ten sat across the hall in his apartment, feeling miserable as the aroma of Taeyong’s cooking invaded. First, it was the sweet cinnamon smell that he imagined came from the cookies Taeyong gave him when they first met. Later, the spicy smell of something Korean. It reminded him of the smell of a kitchen he’d washed dishes in when he lived in Seoul.

He wanted to trudge across the hall and beg for food.

He stood a few times, considering the walk to Taeyong’s apartment, but then the image of Taeyong kissing that guy in the club flashed through his mind. His frustration built until he couldn’t take it anymore. He jerked his phone out of his pocket and called Lucas.

“I thought you were mad at me.”

“I am mad at you, but I can’t stay here. Can I come to your place?”

“To like stay?”

“Lucas…”

“You can come, Tennie. I just need to clean the sheets if you’re going to stay here.”

“Lucas, if you feel the need to clean your sheets if I stay the night, you need to clean your sheets anyway.”

“Whatever. Come over. I’ll go throw the sheets in the wash.”

 

Taeyong heard the door open and close across the hall as he put the finishing touches on his spicy rice cake dish. He let out a sigh and fought the urge to go to the window to see Ten walk out.

In the end, he lost the battle and went to the window. Ten was just walking out when he kneeled on the window seat to look out. Ten had a large bag slung over his shoulder that he tied down to the back of his Vespa before he climbed on. Taeyong frowned as he watched Ten cutely situate himself on the seat and put on his adorable little helmet. He fumbled with the buckle under his chin and Taeyong felt himself smile. Why did Ten have to be so cute?

It would be so much easier to hate him if he was a jerk, but he had to be this adorable, sweet guy.

He watched him ride off on the little Vespa – the perfect, cute vehicle for Ten – and turned to slump down on the window seat. He felt like a deflated balloon, the sad remnants of a party.

Except he didn’t even get the party.

He stared at the food littering his counter. Cooking was the only thing that made him feel human again when he was depressed. He’d made four batches of cookies followed by a huge batch of spicy rice cakes, kimchi fried rice, and Korean pancakes.

It had helped him feel a little better, but he regretted it now. There was no way that he could eat all of the food and Mrs. Collin’s wasn’t fond of the spicier dishes he liked to make. She wasn’t supposed to eat too much sugar, so he couldn’t share the cookies either.

He could take some to Johnny’s parents, but considering that he wasn’t currently speaking to their son, it would have been more awkward than it was worth. Although, Johnny’s mom would probably take Taeyong’s side, if he was brave enough to explain the situation to her. Which he wasn’t. The words “making out at a gay bar” would never cross his lips when Johnny’s mom was around to hear them.

He started to put the food into containers that would keep it fresh and his mind turned to Ten. This would be the perfect meal to share with him. If he wasn’t (as Taeyong suspected) headed off to spend the night with his tall stupid gorgeous boyfriend.

Taeyong ate a small amount of the food, packed another small amount away for the next day, and then packed the rest of the food to take to the campus. There was a food drive going where people could take non-perishable food items home with them or enjoy a hot meal in the cafeteria. The meal usually consisted of leftovers from the day’s lunch options, so he imagined they would be grateful… and they were.

He left feeling happy that he could do something good for the community, but still feeling too heavy-hearted.

As he walked home, he gave himself a pep talk. He was being ridiculous! So, what if he’d liked (read: fallen in love with) Ten when he first saw him. That didn’t mean Ten was obligated to like (love) him back. He had been stupid to think that Ten was trying to be anything more than his friend. That was his own fault.

Johnny was still an idiot and he would still let him stew for a while, but he was done being heartbroken about Ten. He was going to forget about his feelings and focus on work, which he had tomorrow morning, and class. That was the responsible thing to do. That made sense. Pining for some random guy that like wasn’t even that cute anyway did not make sense.

Ten was just his neighbor, that was it. They didn’t have to talk. He had spent years never speaking to anyone aside from Mrs. Collins. He’d go right back to that. Ten was nothing special.

His new outlook on life and false confidence lasted until he walked onto his floor, saw Ten’s door, and became the discarded balloon once again.

He muttered a curse word under his breath as he entered his apartment and went straight to bed.

 

The next morning, Taeyong was afraid to go to work. Johnny would surely show up looking for his free food and coffee. Not wanting to risk it, he called in sick.

It was a half-truth. He was heart sick, he told himself.

But he felt like the jerk that he was, and went back to bed, sleeping away the hours that he should have been working.

When his alarm woke him thirty minutes before his first class, he found messages from Johnny.

**Johnny**

Stopped by the bakery, hoping to see you.

I know you said not to talk to you, but… I miss you.

Arthur said you were sick.

I didn’t say anything to him, but I figure you’re just avoiding me.

Go to work Wednesday. I won’t show up.

Taeyong rolled his eyes, muted Johnny’s numbers, so he wouldn’t have to deal with any additional messages, and tossed his phone aside. He wondered if Arthur (his boss) had figured out that he wasn’t really sick when Johnny came in asking about him. Arthur knew they were best friends. If Taeyong was really sick, Johnny would know about it.

He sighed and trudged off to shower. He didn’t have time to fret over what Arthur thought. He’d pencil in some time to feel guilty over that later.

 

“You going to class?” Lucas nudged Ten’s hip with his bare foot.

Ten swatted at him, his face buried in one of Lucas’ pillows. He reached down to pull the covers up over his bare torso, but he couldn’t catch hold of them before Lucas jerked them away.

“Get up, Lazy Ass. It’s after eleven.”

“Go away.”

“This is my house. Get up.”

“It’s an apartment,” Ten grumbled, grabbing Lucas’ pillow beside him and covering his head with it.

Lucas jerked it away and climbed onto the bed. “Get up or I’m sitting on you.”

“Don’t you dare, Lucas, I swear…” Ten let out a groan when Lucas sat on his back.

“Are you going to get up?”

“You’re… crushing… me… to death,” Ten gasped.

Lucas rolled over beside him, one long leg still draped over Ten’s backside. “Get the hell up then,” he said in a soft voice that did not match the words at all.

Ten turned his head toward his best friend, his eyes fluttering open. Lucas offered him a smile that didn’t match the words either. Lucas was such a mystery. He could be so sweet, stupid, and ridiculous simultaneously. Ten thought he would probably never fully understand him.

“Do I have to?”

“Yes. You have a class which I really don’t care if you go to, but I think you’ll probably care if I let you miss it, so UP!”

“Will you make me breakfast?” Ten pouted.

“What the hell do I look like? Your freaking maid? Your husband? Get your own breakfast, you lazy ass.”

Ten let out a groan and buried his face in the pillow again as Lucas rolled off the opposite side of the bed. “I’m going for a run!” He called back to Ten. “If you’re still here when I get back, I’m shaving your head and force-feeding you fruit!”

Ten shouted a few choice words at his friend as he forced himself out of bed. The door slammed without a word from Lucas.

 

Ten had never once seen Taeyong on campus, but as he walked to his class – hoodie pulled up over his face, shoulders hunched – he feared seeing him around every corner.

When he slid into his seat in the classroom and lowered his hood, his heart felt like it was being weighed down by an anchor. He realized that he hadn’t feared seeing Taeyong as much as he anticipated it, wanted it. He missed his face, his smile, the pink hair he’d seen only briefly but fallen in love with, and, of course, his food.

He rolled his eyes at his own idiocy. It had been _one_ day since he’d seen Taeyong and… AND… He didn’t even like him. AND he had a boyfriend or a… something. A very hot something that he kissed in public which he would never do to Ten, or even _want_ to do.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Ten eyed Lucas suspiciously when he found him standing outside the classroom three hours later.

“I wanted to make sure you actually went to class, so I peeked inside. When I saw you, I thought I’d wait and walk you home. Thought we could grab some lunch too. I assume you didn’t eat before you went to class.”

Ten’s stomach growled as if in response to Lucas.

“You’re so stupid. When will you learn to take care of yourself?”

“Says the man who has only one thing in his cabinets – kid’s sugary cereal – and never washes his sheets until someone is coming over.”

“We’re not talking about me. We’re talking about you. You know, I think that’s the only reason you liked that idiot.”

“What? Who?”

“Dumbass across the hall. He took care of you. That’s the only reason you liked him. He spoiled you with food and shit.”

“That’s not true!” Ten snapped.

“You said he brought you food all the time! That’s spoiling…”

“Not that.” Ten shook his head, his face twisted in annoyance. “I mean, that’s not the only reason I liked him. He was… I don’t know how to explain it and we’re not talking about him. You’re not allowed to talk about him.”

Lucas rolled his eyes. “Whatever. You know I’m right,” he muttered.

Ten shoved him across the hall and walked quickly ahead of him.

“Tennie, wait!”

Taeyong was coming out of a classroom down the hall behind them when he heard the semi-familiar voice calling out to Ten. His head jerked in their direction.

He watched as the tall jerk caught up to Ten, visibly upset. Taeyong’s heart clinched. The tall asshole wrapped his arms around Ten, pressing his lips to his hair, probably whispering sweet things to him, comforting him about whatever was upsetting him.

Taeyong’s hands balled into tight fists and he spun to walk the other direction.

Lucas held Ten tightly as he struggled. “I’m sorry, okay? Stop. I’m sorry I was a jerk.”

“You’re an asshole.”

“I know. I know. I just hate that this stupid pink-haired idiot has you so upset. You deserve better than some jerk who strings you along and then makes out with another dude in front of you.”

“He didn’t know I was there, Lucas.” Ten gently pushed Lucas back.

“Irrelevant.”

“It is relevant. And he didn’t really string me along. He never said that he had feelings for me. He never once indicated that we were more than… well, neighbors. He never even said that he wanted to be friends. I was just stupid. I was just seeing what I wanted to see. It’s my own fault.”

Lucas frowned sympathetically and pulled Ten to his side. “Come on. I’ll buy us some food and we’ll go home, watch a movie. Forget about stupid boys.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that you all enjoyed this!! Please leave comments down below to let me know what you thought! If you have ideas, questions, concerns, whatever, leave them all below and I will be very happy to read and respond to them!! You're all the best!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Johnny spends time with Taeil who attempts to give him advice on how to redeem himself after playing a big role in the Taeten mess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I hope you'll all be happy with this quicker update! 
> 
> This chapter is mostly Johnny and Taeil. I wanted to show a different side of Johnny since he's been an idiot that messes things up for the whole fic. I actually love Johnny, though, and I want him to be happy in this fic as well. Hope you all don't mind this Johnil-centric chapter! Trust me, it is relevant to the plot and may just get Taeten back on track!
> 
> This chapter is dedicated to taeshook who leaves such sweet, wonderful comments!! I love all of you that leave kudos and comments. Thanks so much!!
> 
> Cr to the person this fic is gifted to for giving me the idea to include Johnil. Your ideas are much appreciated!

Johnny hadn’t expected Taeyong to go as far as skipping out on work to avoid him. When he arrived at the bakery to find Taeyong’s boss behind the counter and his best friend nowhere to be seen, he knew that he had truly messed up.

He had done a lot of stupid things in his life and most of them had involved Taeyong. It wasn’t anything against Taeyong. They were just always together. Taeyong was collateral damage to his idiocy.

He should be upset with himself for that, should have regretted it before now, but he’d been too stupid even for that.

As he sat in his car outside the bakery, texting Taeyong, he knew he wouldn’t get a reply. Taeyong was done with him. The thing he’d feared that Ten – or some other guy – would do, he had done himself. He’d finally driven Taeyong away from him.

He tossed his phone in the passenger seat and laid his head back on his headrest. As his eyes closed, he felt tears poke at his eyelids.

He jerked forward, sucking in a deep breath. He would not sit in his car in front of Taeyong’s workplace and cry. He was not that pathetic.

He had just put the car into gear, prepared to drive back to his house and wallow in the proper place – his bed – when his phone rang. He jerked the gear shift back into “park” so hard that he was surprised it didn’t rip off.

Could Tae really be calling him!?

Yes…

But not the right “Tae.”

“Taeil,” he said when he answered via speakerphone.

“Johnny, hey… What are you up to tonight?”

“Uh…” _Wallowing in bed alone because my best friend left me._

What a sexy response that would be…

Johnny rolled his eyes at his own pathetic existence and let out a breath before he replied, “Nothing… Why? Do you have an idea of how I can fill my night?”

Taeil uttered a noise that was something between a hum and a purr. Despite his misery, Johnny felt his stomach do a little flip in response.

“I think I’ve got something you can fill…”

Johnny almost choked on nothing, air, his own saliva…?

Taeil’s laughter came down the line. “I’m sorry. That was both ridiculous and crude.” He laughed again. “I do not blame if you don’t want to spend tonight with me.”

A smile spread over Johnny’s face that told him what exactly what he needed was to spend the night with Taeil. He’d only just met him, but if Taeil could make him smile right now when he felt so hopeless, there had to be something special about him.

Or maybe he was just desperate.

He really hoped it wasn’t that.

“Should I bring dinner or just condoms?”

“I’ve got the latter. You can bring dinner and dessert.”

“Is that a euphemism or do you really want dessert?”

Taeil’s laugh was adorable and Johnny smiled again when it filled his car. “I really want dessert, Johnny. Something chocolate.”

Johnny occupied himself with preparations for his evening with Taeil for the next few hours and managed to keep his mind off Taeyong almost entirely. If he stopped for a moment to think on that, he might have been overcome with guilt and gone right back to his previous plan of wallowing in bed for the day.

Instead, he focused his mind on doing the absolute _most_ to ensure that his evening with Taeil would be perfect. He drove clear across town to this expensive, snobby bakery, that actually called itself some giant French word that just meant “bakery,” to buy something chocolate. He left the overpriced bakery with a layer cake that the shop assistant told him was a “chocolate hazelnut gateau.” He suspected that was a fancy French way of saying a Nutella cake, but he didn’t care. It was beautifully adorned with chocolate frosting and slivered nuts. It was sure to impress Taeil.

The other thing he was sure would impress Taeil was a homecooked meal.

After he’d purchased the cake, got a fresh haircut, facial, and manicure, he went straight home to work on Taeil’s homecooked meal. And by work on, of course, he meant beg his mother to cook.

“Johnny, why do you need me to cook a meal for this friend again?” his mother asked as she prepared honey glazed salmon for her son.

“He’s… new in town, and I want to be welcoming, Mom. It’s a polite gesture. You did raise me to always be polite.” Johnny wasn’t lying. Taeil had just moved to town… six months ago. That was fairly new. Newer than Johnny. A welcoming gesture was all he could come up with to tell his mother. He couldn’t very well tell her that he wanted to impress the man that he very much enjoyed seeing naked.

She raised an eyebrow in his direction but continued. She was certain there was something he was leaving out, but assumed he had his reasons. She would never believe that she’d raised a son that would hide things from her for nefarious reasons.

“Thank you,” Johnny said, kissing her on the cheek.

When he started out of the room, she called him back. “Ah-ah. Where do you think you’re going?”

“I was going to…”

“You’re going to stay right here and help me with this meal. I’m all for being polite and charitable to newcomers, but I’m not going to do all the work myself.”

She put him in charge of peeling carrots that would be roasted and then cooking rice that would be turned into something called a “pilaf.” Johnny had no clue what he was doing, but he went along with it. This food was sure to impress Taeil.

Somewhere between peeling and pilaf-ing, he started to wonder why he was so set on impressing Taeil. He certainly didn’t need to impress him to get into his pants. Taeil had dragged him home straight from the bar and had his pants off before they were even into the bedroom.

But then they’d spent a few hours in the morning together, talking in bed, laughing about the number of knickknacks Taeil had in his apartment – a startling amount, Johnny thought, for a twenty-two-year-old man. They’d played with his kitten – a little orange tabby that loved belly rubs and perching on Taeil’s head when he got the chance.

It was unlike any “morning after” scenario that Johnny had ever experienced. He’d done the “walk of shame” tons of times. Didn’t feel an ounce of shame, though, so it didn’t really live up to its judgy name. He’d escaped down a fire escape in high school to get away from a boy’s parents. He’d even been chased, half-naked, by a guy’s rottweiler.

He couldn’t recall a time when he’d lazed in bed for hours, pet a kitten, and laughed until his stomach ached.

“Mom…” He looked up from the rice cooker that could do its job just fine without his watchful eye anyway.

She looked back from where she was at the stove working her magic with a pan of carrots to make them suitable for roasting. “Yes, dear?”

“When you… I mean, can I ask you something?”

“Of course, Johnny.”

“Well…” He looked back at the rice cooker because it was less intimidating than his mother. She turned back to her carrots a moment later. “When you met Gabriel…” He wouldn’t ask about when she met his father. He hadn’t cared in a long while about his father. If he was being honest with himself, Gabriel Park was more a father than his own had ever been. “When you met him, what was it like?”

“That’s an interesting question for you to ask right now.”

“I’m just curious…”

“Well… It was… Johnny, is this about your father? I told you that we can try to contact him, if you like.”

“No, Mom. This isn’t about him. I just want to know what you felt like when you first met Gabriel. Did you… Did you know that you loved him immediately?”

“Not immediately,” she said. Johnny glanced up to see a smile on her lips. She stared off, like she was remembering the first time she met her husband. He wondered what movie was playing in her mind. “It didn’t take long, though. He was kind and thoughtful, unlike any man I’d ever met. And he took to you so quickly. I never thought that would happen. You were a perfect little boy, of course, but women always fear that their new partner won’t want to be tangled up with their children, you know?”

Johnny nodded, but he didn’t know. He knew very little about dating, even less about women, and practically nothing about children.

“He was so good to me, still is. I couldn’t ask for a better man in my life.” She looked at him them, ending the movie in her mind. Her smile grew wider. “I’ve got two perfect men,” she said, giving his cheek a quick pinch.

He let her have that one, because she looked so happy but moved away to avoid another pinch. “So, you knew pretty quickly that you loved him?”

“Yes. It was no secret that I loved him, and he loved me. We were engaged after three months of dating; married, after six.”

“That seems fast.” Johnny was pretty young when his mother married Gabriel. He didn’t recall the details, just that his mother finally seemed happy again. That had been all that mattered to him.

“What does it matter when you’re truly in love? If you’re truly in love, time doesn’t exist, only you do. If you’re not, you can take all the time in the world and it won’t matter.”

“Hmm…” He tried to think of himself in three months. Would he be giving Taeil a ring?

Probably not. They were in college. He was only twenty! He couldn’t marry someone. Not yet.

He realized that wasn’t really a reflection on Taeil, or his feelings for him, though…

“Johnny, what is this about?” His mother’s voice was gentle, and she reached over to place a hand on his shoulder. No pinching, just a light squeeze.

He started to tell her, again, that he was just curious, but he knew she wouldn’t buy that a second time. Likely, she hadn’t bought it the first time. “You know how Tae liked that one guy.” He felt a stab of guilt at using Taeyong to avoid telling his mother that he was sort of seeing someone.

“Yes… Does he think he’s in love with this boy?”

Probably.

“I’m not sure. I was just wondering what it was like. He seems really upset that he doesn’t think the guy likes him.”

“This is the boy that you said was a, well, a piece of foul language?”

A dick, Johnny had said, but his mother sounded much politer.

“Yes, that’s the one.”

“You can’t think that it’s not love just because the boy has upset Taeyong. Sometimes, there is heartache in love.”

“Has Gabriel ever hurt you?”

“No, but then we’re old, you know? It seems the older you get, the less chance for heartbreak. At least, in my experience.” She laughed a little. “I’m sorry for our dear Taeyong. I’m sure he’ll be just fine. If it is love with those two, it’ll find a way to work out. It always does.”

Johnny nodded. He felt a little sick to his stomach talking about this. He wasn’t supposed to be thinking of Taeyong and Ten. He was supposed to be thinking of Taeil and the perfect evening they were about to have together.

Right on cue, as if he’d read his mind, Taeil called.

“Sorry, mom. I’ll be right back.”

She waved him off, smiling affectionately. “Take your time. I’ll just finish up here.”

He hollered back his thanks as he ran off to his room. “Hey,” he said, putting the phone to his ear. He laid back on his bed, staring at the ceiling. When he was young back in Korea, he and Taeyong had begged to have glow in the dark stars put on their ceilings. They would lay awake at night, staring at them and making up names for each of them. He closed his eyes, willing himself to forget about Taeyong for one night. There was nothing he could do about it when Taeyong refused to speak to him.

“Hey… You okay?”

“Hmm?” Johnny rolled onto his side. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just getting ready for tonight. I’ve got the dessert you requested and I’m working on dinner.”

Taeil did the humming purr thing again and Johnny almost groaned aloud. “What are you bringing for dinner?”

“It’s a surprise…”

“What? No. I want to know.”

“Are you whining?”

“No! I just want to know.”

“You’re two years older than me and you’re _whining_ …”

“Shut up.”

Johnny laughed and it felt good, really good. “Do you like fish?”

“Yes… Are you bringing fish?”

“Maybe.”

“If you are, you’d better bring extra for Tigger. He loves fish.”

“I will bring something special for Tigger.”

Johnny couldn’t be sure he was falling in love with Taeil, but he was certain he had fallen for Tigger, the little tabby that purred when he rubbed his belly and nibbled at his fingertips when he wanted his attention.

“Tigger can’t wait to see you,” Taeil said softly.

“Hmm… And what about Tigger’s owner?”

“If you mean me, you obviously have no idea what our relationship is like. Tigger runs this place.”

Johnny laughed. “What about Tigger’s pet then?”

“I’m really looking forward to seeing you, Johnny…”

 

Johnny must have thanked his mother a hundred times for preparing such a delicious meal (that included a plain, unglazed piece of salmon for Tigger) and packing it all up for him to take to Taeil. When he left, she looked like she wanted to ask him something – maybe if he’d be home that night – but she let him go with a kiss on the cheek.

He thanked her again, though more for not prying, than for the meal.

When he arrived at Taeil’s apartment, the latter buzzed him up quickly. Though, he would normally take the four flights of steps up to Taeil’s floor, he opted for the elevator this time. He had a bag on each arm and both were heavy.

Taeil was waiting in the doorway with a smile when Johnny stepped out of the elevator directly across the hall from Taeil’s apartment. A smile spread over Johnny’s face to match and he felt a warmth wash over him that he didn’t think he’d ever felt before. Taeil was really _something_.

“Let me take one of those.”

Johnny gave Taeil the lighter of the two bags when he held his hands out. It was the polite thing to do, but he also wanted to be the one to reveal the home-cooked meal in the heavier bag.

He thought, for a moment, that it might be one of his major flaws that he almost always had a selfish motive in doing things. A frown tugged his former smile down as he followed Taeil into the apartment after Taeil closed and locked the door behind them.

“What’s wrong?” Taeil asked, eyeing him across the small kitchen island when they set the bags down.

“Hmm? What? Nothing.”

“Johnny, has anyone ever told you that you’re a dreadful liar? Because I’m here to tell you.” Taeil laughed to show him that he wasn’t being too serious.

“I…” He waved him off. “Don’t worry about it, okay? Let me show you what I brought! Open your bag first and get a look at that cake!”

Taeil laughed as he opened the bag to get a look at the box inside. He gasped. “You went to Le Petit Patisserie?? Johnny! That place is really pricy.”

Johnny waved him off. “Just open the box and look at the cake.”

Taeil did as he was told and gasped again. “This looks delicious. Is it a gateau?”

Johnny sighed. “Of course, you would know the fancy French word.”

Taeil smiled at him. “I’ve always wanted one of these. There are thin layers of sponge cake and it’s supposed to be delicious! Thank you! In the future, though, cupcakes or candy from the supermarket will do.”

Johnny did not want to tell him that he was trying to impress him, so he just nodded. “Do you want to see what I brought for dinner?”

“Yes. I want to _eat_ what you brought for dinner. I’m so hungry.”

“I hope you’ll like it.” He pulled out a small container on top first. “Salmon for Tigger,” he said, handing it off to Taeil.

“Oh, my spoiled kitty.” He laughed and set it aside. He would prepare it for Tigger just before they sat down to eat, so the cat would leave them to eat their food in peace. “Now, what did you bring for me?” He rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

Johnny removed the remaining containers. “Glazed salmon, rice pilaf, and roasted carrots.”

Taeil’s eyes were wide when Johnny looked up at him. He worried he’d done something wrong. “Are you allergic to carrots or you hate salmon?” he rambled.

Taeil shook his head. “No. I just… I didn’t know you could cook!”

“I… Well, yeah… I don’t like to brag.”

Taeil reached over to open the large container that held the salmon. “Oh… this looks delicious! I can’t believe you made this!”

“Well, I thought you could do with something homemade.”

“Yeah, what’s on this?”

“Hmm?”

Taeil pointed to the salmon.

“Salmon.”

Laughing, Taeil said, “I know that. What’s on it? What’s the glaze?”

“Oh, honey.”

“Yes, darling?” Taeil smirked.

Johnny nudged him. “It’s honey.”

“I know, but I’ve always wanted to do that. You see it in the movies, you know?”

Johnny nodded and went a little moony looking at Taeil. He was actually so cute. It surely wouldn’t take long for Johnny to fall for him harder than he had little Tigger.

Taeil picked around at the other containers, oohing and ahhing over the food. Johnny began to feel guilty for lying to him about cooking them.

“Taeil...”

Taeil had a roasted carrot between his fingers. He stopped with it almost to his mouth. “Yeah?”

“Would it matter if I didn’t make a home-cooked meal like this?”

“No, of course not. I don’t mind if you cook for me or you don’t. I didn’t think you could cook, so…” He laughed and his dimpled cheeks made Johnny feel weak.

He watched as he nibbled the end of the long, skinny carrot.

“I can’t,” he admitted just as Taeil had paused his eating to deliver a compliment.

“I wouldn’t say that. This is delicious.”

“I didn’t cook it. I’m sorry. I lied.”

“Why?” Taeil laughed loudly.

“I don’t know. I guess…” He sighed, still not wanting to admit that he was trying to impress him.

Taeil popped the rest of the carrot into his mouth and ate it quickly before he walked over to Johnny. “I don’t care if you can cook. I can’t cook either. I can toast bread and scramble an egg, but that’s about as far as it goes.”

Johnny snorted. “Well, we’re quite a pair.”

“I think so.”

No one fully clothed had ever made Johnny’s heart beat faster, but Taeil had him feeling like he’d just gone for a run.

With just three words and a longing gaze.

Taeil moved closer to him, his hands finding Johnny’s hips. “You don’t have to lie to impress me,” he whispered against his lips as he kissed him softly. “I already like you.”

Johnny wrapped his arms around him, tugging him toward him with both hands at the small of his back. “I told you that I can be an idiot,” he murmured against Taeil’s mouth.

“You’ll be my idiot then.” Taeil laughed and pulled back. “But we better stop this before the delicious meal you brought is forgotten and I drag you off to bed.”

Johnny playfully tugged him back. “We can reheat it.”

“No! I want to eat it now and then… to bed.” Taeil kissed him quickly and moved away to gather plates and silverware from the cabinets. “So, where did this come from?” He asked as he dished the food onto plates.

“What?”

“The food. Did you order out and then put it in these containers, so I would think you cooked?”

“No, it’s actually home-cooked. I just didn’t cook it.”

“Who did?”

“My mother.”

“Hmm… That’s weird.”

“What do you mean?” Johnny expected the judgment about still living with his parents, being a “mama’s boy,” and who-knows-what else to come.

“I’m going to eat your mother’s cooking before I even meet her. Seems weird.”

Johnny was surprised he hadn’t judged him, but worried that he wanted to meet his mother. “Oh, you don’t want to meet my mother anyway.”

“Why wouldn’t I? I mean, not so soon, sure. I don’t want to be that weird guy that moves too quickly, but…” Taeil shook his head because he was being that weird guy. “Never mind. I am being weird.” He chuckled. “Forget about it. Plates are made. Let’s eat.”

“Taeil, I don’t think you’re being weird.” Johnny wrapped a hand around Taeil’s upper arm and gave it a gently squeeze. “My mom is just weird.”

Taeil glanced over, looking at him through his lashes. “She doesn’t know you’re gay?”

“Oh, no.” Johnny laughed. “She knows I’m gay. She’s just super clingy and motherly. I’m her only son, so she’ll probably try to smother you or she’ll be freaked out that we just met. I don’t even know. I stopped trying to figure out how my mom’s brain works a long time ago.”

Taeil laughed softly. A moment later, he admitted, “I lost contact with my parents when I came out, so you won’t have to worry about meeting them.”

Johnny frowned. “Oh… I’m so sorry. I…” He started to say “I didn’t know,” but felt foolish, because there were probably a million things that he didn’t know about Taeil.

“It’s okay. I have come to terms with it. I came out when I was sixteen, so I’ve had a lot of years to get over it.”

When Tigger moseyed into the room, finally awakened from his fifth cat nap of the day by the aroma of salmon, Taeil quickly placed half of the salmon Johnny had brought for Tigger into his dish. The cat, who had been on his way to cuddle Johnny’s legs, spun in the opposite direction and dashed toward the fishy treat.

“Let’s eat before he realizes we’ve got more food than he does,” Taeil joked, carrying their plates to the small kitchen table in front of his small kitchen window.

Johnny wanted to say something about his confession about his parents and the coming out thing, but he wasn’t sure what to say. He couldn’t imagine being sixteen and on his own. He was twenty now and couldn’t imagine being on his own! His parents would never do that to him, though. Well, maybe his biological father. He had no idea what his biological father thought of any sexuality and didn’t care.

They ate in silence until Taeil finally broke it with a question. “Johnny, did I make things awkward between us?”

Johnny had a carrot hanging out of his mouth. He slurped it into his mouth like a spaghetti noodle.

Taeil smiled at him. Johnny was adorable and he would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little crazy about him…

“What do you mean?” Johnny asked, dabbing his lips with a napkin Taeil had brought over when Johnny dropped a carrot onto the table as soon as he sat down.

“I don’t know… Talking about your mom, about my parents… I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable.”

“You didn’t, no. I… just wasn’t sure what to say about your parents. I can’t imagine having parents like that or being alone at sixteen.”

“Oh, I wasn’t alone. I moved in with my grandmother. She’s amazing. You would love her. She’s got a kooky sense of humor, like you.” Johnny grinned and it warmed Taeil’s heart.

“Where does she live?”

“She lives in Florida, actually. That’s where I’m originally from. I just moved here to go to university.”

“Oh, really? What university do you go to anyway?”

Johnny’s parents had crossed their fingers, toes, every appendage they had that he would get into Harvard, but Johnny was a better fit at UMass. His parents, to their credit, never gave him a hard time for not getting into Harvard, though he suspected they were slightly disappointed.

“I’m at Harvard,” Taeil replied. “I’m studying Women, Gender, and Sexuality. I’ll graduate at the end of the year and go on to Law School. Already took the LSAT.”

Taeil beamed proudly. Johnny gawked at him. “Seriously? Harvard?”

“Yeah.” Taeil took a bite of his salmon followed by a sip of water. “What? Are you at Harvard too? And we’ve never run into each other?” A grin spread over Taeil’s face.

“Oh, no… I’m at, uh, UMass. Harvard is… a tough school to get into.”

“Oh, definitely.” Taeil nodded. “I’m here on a massive scholarship because I had literally no social life in high school and killed myself for four years to cram in everything I could. If I had to do it over again, honestly, I don’t know if I would do it. It was tough.”

“I’m something of a slacker myself,” Johnny said, staring at his plate, pushing his rice into his carrots, wiggling a carrot with the end of his fork.

“Not getting into Harvard doesn’t make you a slacker.” Taeil’s voice was soft and gentle and made Johnny want to leave the room.

“I know that. I’m just lazy and I don’t like to make an effort much.” That wasn’t strictly true. He’d tried really hard for his parents, but moving from another country and… He could make a million excuses. In the end, he had tried, just not hard enough.

“You made quite an effort tonight,” Taeil said, sensing Johnny’s discomfort. His voice was still the gentle, soft voice that made Johnny squirm in his seat.

He placed his fork on the side of his plate and let out a sigh. Why was he that way? Taeil was being perfectly kind to him and he wanted to leave.

Taeil watched Johnny. He looked like Tigger had when Taeil thought he could bring home a puppy to adopt. Cornered, searching for an escape. “I’m going to use the bathroom,” he said, leaving the table. He hoped Johnny would look less like a startled animal when he returned.

When Taeil returned to the little nook in the kitchen where they’d been eating, Johnny was gone. He felt a weird ache in the middle of his chest. Why would Johnny just leave?

Then he heard a familiar sound. It sounded like a small motor. When he moved around the small kitchen island, he saw Johnny seated on the floor, Tigger in his lap, purring loudly. The cat never purred that loudly for Taeil. Johnny had him under a spell.

Like pet, like owner.

Taeil kneeled behind Johnny, wrapping his arms around his waist, running his hands over his chest. “You alright?” he whispered, kissing the shell of his ear.

Johnny nodded. “I’m dumb sometimes,” he whispered, his hands working in circles on Tigger’s tummy.

“It’s okay.” Taeil trailed kisses down the side of his neck. “Let’s clean up dinner. I’m full. It’s time for bed.”

Taeil’s lips lingered on Johnny’s shoulder for a moment before he stood.

Johnny looked up at him, a smirk on his face. “You tired, old man?”

The grin that spread over Taeil’s face could only be described as wicked. “Not even a little.”

 

When Johnny awoke the next morning, Taeil was hugging him like a koala, his face pressed to his neck. They hadn’t bothered with clothes before they passed out after their third time making love.

Johnny had never thought of what they’d done as “making love” before. He had an array of creative words for it, even more creative ways to describe it and all the parts used… But he’d never said “making love” before now.

He was pretty sure he was screwed.

Screwed… He had definitely used that term before.

But he meant it in an entirely different way now. As he laid there, listening to Taeil breathe, feeling the little puffs of breath against his neck, he knew he was done for. There would be no more creatively worded bedtime fun for him. No more nights spend in random apartments, sneaking out before the random guy next to him could even open his eyes.

It had been fun, living his late teens that way. He’d enjoyed every night spent with every random guy. But it was all over now. Even if Taeil wanted to see other people, he knew he wouldn’t be able to go home with another man without thinking of Taeil, without wishing it were him next to him in bed.

He was falling in love.

His first reaction to this definite realization: Tell Taeyong.

Taeyong was always his first call. All the good news hit Taeyong first, even before his parents. But he couldn’t call him now, couldn’t text him. All because he’d been a complete idiot.

He was shocked when his chest shuddered and he realized he was crying.

Taeil wiggled in his arms and made a soft snuffling noise. Johnny blinked rapidly, took a deep breath, willed himself to stop crying. He would not fall in love with Taeil and cry in front of him on the same day.

“Johnny?” Taeil mumbled, scooting down a little. His face dropped away from Johnny’s neck and he rubbed his nose on his pillow. “Are we naked?”

Johnny laughed and kissed the top of his head. “We are…”

Taeil hummed and nodded. “What time is it?”

“That, I don’t know. Just woke up. Couldn’t reach my phone because I had an arm full of you.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be.”

“You like it?”

“Having my arms full of you?”

“Mmhmm.”

“I think so.”

Taeil looked up then and their eyes met. When Taeil’s brow furrowed, Johnny realized that he hadn’t wiped away the few tears that had fallen. He was caught.

“Are you crying?” Taeil was awake then, pushing up on his elbow to look down at Johnny.

“No.”

“Your eyes are watery. What’s wrong?”

Johnny swore silently at himself when he felt the familiar tug behind his eyelids, the lump rising in his throat.

Taeil lowered his head, kissed Johnny on the shoulder and then rested his head there. “You can talk to me,” he told him, reaching over to caress Johnny’s stomach under the blanket.

Johnny wanted so badly to make a joke about that light touch of his leading to something other than talking, but maybe he really needed to talk. He needed to not be an idiot, for once. “I was thinking about Taeyong.”

Where Johnny would have made a joke about thinking of another man while they were naked, Taeil just brought his hand up higher on Johnny’s chest, still gently stroking his warm skin. “Yeah?” It was a simple word, but it prompted Johnny to go on.

“I really messed up with him, didn’t I?”

“I think so.”

“Couldn’t you go easy on me?”

“Do you really want me to?”

Johnny tried to look down at him, but with Taeil’s head on his shoulder, he could barely see him. He waited a moment, thinking over his question before he responded. “No. I don’t deserve that. And it wouldn’t do me any good, will it?”

“No.”

“Do you have to be so smart?”

“I don’t have to be, but I like it.”

Johnny laughed and Taeil’s hand bounced on his chest where it had come to rest over his heart. Johnny wondered why he made that observation, that he’d noticed Taeil’s hand specifically over his heart.

Screwed. He was screwed.

“I like it too. I wish I could be like that. I wish I could say the right things instead of always saying the wrong ones.”

“You can work on it. And you don’t _always_ say the wrong things.”

“Pretty much.”

“You said you’d come home with me. I think that was definitely the right thing to say.”

Johnny found himself wanting to say so many things, wanting to ask Taeil what he meant to him, what they were. What was happening to him? His mind wanted to supply the four-letter word, the answer to his question, but he pushed away the thought. Now wasn’t the time. How dare he even be lying here with Taeil, feeling so good in his arms when Taeyong was… He didn’t even know where he was or what he was doing, but he knew he wasn’t happy.

“I shouldn’t even be here.”

Taeil jerked up, bracing again on his elbow to look down at Johnny. “Excuse me?”

“It’s not you.” Johnny rubbed the arm that Taeil still had splayed across his chest. “I shouldn’t get to feel so happy with you when I messed everything up with Tae. He said as much when I saw him. He was so mad at me when I told him that I went home with you. I… I always tell him everything, you know? He’s my best friend, so I didn’t even hesitate to tell him about that.” He paused, looking at Taeil, wondering if he’d be angry that he told him. Taeil just nodded. “I… I don’t think it was the right thing to do. He screamed at me and he left. He… He told me that he didn’t, didn’t want to talk to me again.” Johnny bit his lip when the waterworks tried to kick up again.

“Hey…” Taeil caressed his chest and bent to kiss his lips softly. “I don’t think that meant those things. Not in a forever way. He’s upset. He just lost someone that he cared for, someone that he wanted a future with, maybe. That’s a hard thing to deal with and… He’s laid a lot of the blame on you.”

“I deserve that,” Johnny cut in.

“You probably do, but he’ll come around. I think you should try talking to him. It’s been a couple of days.”

“I tried to text him. He didn’t reply. He doesn’t want to talk to me.”

Taeil hummed thoughtfully. “Talk to the other one then.”

“What other one?”

“To the guy that he likes.”

“No.” Johnny scooted away from Taeil then, sitting up against the wall behind Taeil’s bed. He shook his head rapidly, running his hands through his hair.

Taeil laid back on his pillow, looking up at Johnny. He enjoyed the view of his bare chest visible now that he was seated and the blanket had fallen to his lap.

“I can’t do that. Tae forbid me to speak to him. He told me never to talk to him. He’ll never forgive me if I talk to him now, especially.”

Taeil could barely find a train of thought with Johnny looking so good. He looked like all those Tumblr posts of guys tagged “actual boyfriend” or “a whole boyfriend.” Taeil thought for a moment that he needed to make Johnny his “actual boyfriend.” What would it be like to wake up to this every morning?

“Why are you staring at me like that? You think I’m a terrible friend, don’t you?”

“No. Sorry, I was actually distracted.”

“Distracted by what? Do you have something you should be doing? Somewhere you need to be? I can go. I didn’t mean to stay the night and mess up any plans you had.” It occurred to Johnny again that he knew next to nothing about Taeil. Did he have a morning routine that Johnny had now disrupted twice?

“No. I was distracted because you’re naked in my bed and I can now see half of your body that I couldn’t see before and, honestly, a lot more that I don’t think we should get into right now.”

“Why? What does that mean?”

Taeil sighed and sat up beside Johnny. He kissed him to ease his mind. “We’ll talk about that later, okay? You need to fix your relationship with Taeyong now. To do that, I think you should try to fix his relationship with the other guy. What is that guy’s name? Five?”

“Ten.”

“Right.” He shook his head. “You should go talk to him, explain to him that what he saw at the club wasn’t what he thought he saw. If you’re right about what you told me – that you think he’s not actually sleeping with that guy, he’ll want to hear that Taeyong is available. It’s the least you can do, explaining your side – Taeyong’s side – of things. If he is really sleeping with that guy, then I guess it won’t change much, but at least you tried.”

‘He’s not sleeping with that guy, I’m sure of it. That’s guys a bullshitter. Takes one to know one and I can bullshit with the best of them.”

Taeil kissed him again. “Don’t you bullshit me, got it?” He smiled. “This is no bullshit either, so think about it, okay? Think about it.”

Another kiss and Johnny promised both – that he wouldn’t bullshit him and that he would think about this. “I should get going,” he said a moment later.

“You have time for a shower?”

Johnny checked the clock on Taeil’s bedside table. It was just barely nine. If he was going to talk to Ten, he’d have to do it when Taeyong was out of the house which meant at work or at class. Early afternoon was his deadline. He wasn’t sure he’d drop in on Ten today, or ever, but better to keep the time open. “I have some things to do before class and I have to make an appearance at home. I don’t have time, I’m sorry.”

“Call me?”

“Of course. If I don’t, you call me.”

He leaned in and kissed him again. “I will. Think about what I said, but if It’s not right for you, don’t do it, okay?”

“Thanks for the advice. You’re probably right, you know? You’re very smart.”

Taeil shrugged. “Eh, I try.” He kissed him once more and it lingered this time. “You sure you don’t have time for a shower?” he murmured, kissing Johnny’s lips between words.

Johnny groaned. “Quick one.” He dragged Taeil out of bed and into the small bathroom that adjoined his bedroom.

 

Ten sat alone in his apartment Friday morning, just back from his stay with Lucas. Lucas had kindly offered to keep him longer, and he’d just as kindly declined. Lucas was probably his best friend and he loved him dearly, but to call him an idiot would be a kindness. A slob, an understatement. Quiet and calm – outright lies.

He was happy to be back in his own, clean, quiet apartment even if facing Taeyong’s closed door and the lack of visits again made him feel an aching loneliness.

He occupied himself with convenience store donuts for breakfast, some homework, and countless memes on Tumblr before he decided to head out for an afternoon jog – fifteen minutes after he’d heard Taeyong’s door slam shut across the hall. He hadn’t hidden out in Lucas’ cluttered, noisy apartment for a week just to run into Taeyong his first day back.

When he was sure that Taeyong was long gone, he pulled open the door to his apartment.

He gasped when he came face-to-face with Taeyong’s friend Johnny, hand hanging in the air like he’d been about to knock at Ten’s door before he whipped it open.

Johnny unrolled his fist and waved at Ten. “Uh, hi. We need to talk.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! Please leave comments to let me know if you enjoyed this chapter! I'm a little nervous to post a chapter without any Taeyong!! I will really value your comments on this one. <333
> 
> ALSO! I have been thinking that I'd love to have a place where I could update you guys, especially when the updates are spaced out like last time. I really hope that I don't have another long wait for an update like that, but if I do - or even with a normal timeline - it would be nice to reach out to you guys! Ao3 doesn't really offer a way to do that. If I created an Instagram account to share updates and maybe even edits related to the fic, would you follow it? Maybe a Twitter account with updates? I would be sharing progress updates, ideas for you to vote on or comment on, stuff like that. Please let me know in the comments below if you'd be interested and I'll create whatever account gets the most feedback. I prefer IG, but if Twitter gets the most votes, that's what I'll do. Let me know!! Thanks, guys!! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! <33
> 
> Minor notes: Taeil's cat was named after Bang Yongguk's dog because BYG is my ult. Lol sorry. And Johnny's step dad was named after my best friend because I couldn't think of a name for him and I love my bff. Lol


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catching up with Taeyong to see how he's been spending the week without Ten and Johnny, or, more importantly, to see who he's been spending the week with...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!! I'm so sorry about the delay again! I've been sick and still working a lot which just leaves me exhausted. 
> 
> Today is my birthday, so I decided to give you all the gift an update! It's not too long, but hopefully the next won't take as long to post which should make up for that. :) 
> 
> I've also created a Twitter account, so I can share updates with you all. If you haven't already, please follow me, @ames_kpopfics, if you'd like to see updates, photos, and fun stuff that applies to the fics. Let me know if you want a follow back. I'm only following a few k-pop groups and my readers. :)

When Taeyong arrived at work Wednesday – an hour before he was scheduled to make up for skipping out on Monday – he worried that Johnny wouldn’t keep his word to stay away. He watched the door for the first hour they were open, worried that Johnny would walk in at any moment.

He’d be lying if he said he didn’t miss Johnny. Of course, he missed his best friend. They hadn’t spent a week without contact… ever. But he was still bitter. Johnny had ruined whatever he might have had with Ten, and he had to learn that he couldn’t be stupid all the time and get away with it.

As far as Taeyong knew, Ten hadn’t even returned to their building. He never saw him coming or going, never heard his door across the hall. He laid awake the night before wondering what Ten could possibly be doing with the tall, hot guy. For someone who had never slept with anyone, his imagination sure could conjure some creative ideas.

His overactive imagination fueled his anger toward Ten and Johnny.

When Taeyong locked up the shop, he was relieved that Johnny had stuck to his word. If he had shown up, Taeyong might have been weak enough to forget everything. He could tell himself that Johnny had to learn and stick to his guns if he didn’t have to look Johnny in the face. If Johnny showed up and put on the puppy dog act, Taeyong would forgive him with even the weakest apology.

He walked home, hoping the crispness that was creeping into the air would help clear his mind. Fall was just around the corner. He kept his eyes up, as he walked, taking in the new colors dotting the leaves on the trees. The reds, yellows, and oranges had just begun to take over the greenery.

Fall colors were Taeyong’s favorite thing about the season. The streets would soon be covered in nature’s confetti, bright red, vibrant orange, and striking yellow leaves everywhere.

And the pumpkins!

There would be perfect orange pumpkins on every porch, scattered on lawns, and waiting, in kitchens, to become delicious pumpkin pie.

When he wasn’t dreaming of Ten, Taeyong dreamed of fresh pumpkin pie.

The thought of fall and pumpkin pie lifted his spirits and he felt a pep in his step as he rounded the corner for the final stretch home. He intended to make a change, like the leaves. This time, he would mean it. No deflated balloon routine when he reached his floor and saw Ten’s closed door.

He was going to forget about the neighbor across the hall and make this fall the best.

He’d call Johnny next week. They’d go back to normal, no more stupid hot guys. Just him, Johnny, and pumpkin pie.

 

When Taeyong arrived at his calculus class, he tried to keep the positive outlook that had stuck around past Ten’s door (twice) and all the way to school.

He hated calculus, but he would not let it get him down.

And things were looking up. The professor was nowhere to be seen. If the professor didn’t show up after fifteen minutes, he could leave. That was an unwritten (or possibly written?) rule.

Ten minutes and counting, Taeyong was getting fidgety. The other students chatted amongst themselves, all wondering if the teacher would show up.

Then, someone that Taeyong didn’t recognize breezed into the room. “Hey! Sorry, I’m late. Professor Markham was called away on a family emergency and he has entrusted me with making sure you get your work done. He said that you’ve had a packet of worksheets that you’ve been working on before the test, so continue with that. You can pair up, if you like, if you can keep focused. We’re all college students, right?” The guy laughed, though it was clear that he was not on their level. Likely, someone’s TA, a grad student.

Taeyong didn’t care who the guy was. He was just sore that he hadn’t shown up five minutes later when they’d have all been in the wind, happy to skip a day of torture.

Since he’d never spoken to anyone in his calculus class before, he pulled out his worksheet packet and settled in to face the torture alone.

His head was down when he heard the empty chair at his table-for-two scratching the floor. His ear twitched, but he kept his eyes on his paper, struggling with the first problem.

“Wanna pair up?”

The voice to his left was vaguely familiar. Professor Markham adored embarrassing people by calling them up to the board to work on problems and – to Taeyong’s absolute horror – _explain_ their work. He’d heard this voice “explaining” things he didn’t understand a few times before.

He glanced over, shaking pink bangs out of his face. The face that belonged to the voice was handsome – strong square jaw, kind eyes the color of chocolate, a faint smile.

Taeyong felt his cheeks heating up and he looked back to his paper. “You may want to choose another partner. I’m not very good at this.”

“Well, you’re in luck.” The guy nudged his arm with his elbow and Taeyong had to fight the urge to jump away from him. “I am excellent at this.”

 

The guy hadn’t been exaggerating or overselling his skill. He _was_ excellent at Calculus. Taeyong had never met someone who was _excellent_ at Calculus. Not even the professor seemed to be naturally excellent. He just recited what he’d learned, what the books said. This guy, he’d learned his name was Jaehyun, was truly excellent.

“How do you just know all that stuff?” Taeyong asked as they left the classroom.

Jaehyun laughed. “I don’t know. I’ve always been really good with numbers.” He shrugged his shoulders.

“Numbers, I can deal with,” Taeyong said. “It’s the letters and all the weird graphy things and the… I just can’t with Calculus.”

Jaehyun chuckled, his dimples on display. Taeyong tried not to compare them to Ten’s dimples. They were different entirely, and he would not think about Ten right now.

Or ever.

He’d promised himself.

“I noticed,” Jaehyun told him. “But, honestly, I think it just takes you a bit longer, and a bit more explanation to get it. There’s nothing wrong with that, you know? And… I would be happy to help you out. Especially if you’re any good at art. I took art classes thinking it would be an easy grade… It’s horrible. I can’t draw to save my life.”

It was Taeyong’s turn to laugh and it felt good to genuinely laugh for the first time in what felt like ages. It felt amazing to be leaving calculus feeling good for the first time. He could definitely spend more time with Jaehyun. “I love art! I don’t know if I’m ‘excellent’ at it, but I love art! I could definitely try to show you a few things, give you some tips in exchange for some help with Calculus.”

“We’re perfect for each other then!” Jaehyun had the most endearing laughter, a little loud and barky at times, but sweet. And the dimples in his cheeks, the smile that lingered…

Taeyong had just sworn off men that morning, but he might make an exception for the sweet boy who’d just offered to end his suffering.

“I would really appreciate the help,” he finally admitted. “I really appreciate just the help you gave me today. I never thought I’d get through that packet and now I’m halfway done.”

Jaehyun shrugged his shoulders as he stepped in front of Taeyong to push open the door that led out of the math and science building. “It was no problem. I’m free tonight if you want to finish it up.”

“I…” Taeyong took a deep breath, following Jaehyun out of the building. He was asking him out for a study/tutoring session, not a date. There was no reason that his chest should be tightening. “Yeah, that would be great. Do you want to meet for coffee or tea? I find that tea and sweets help me with homework.”

Jaehyun nodded when they were, once again, side by side. “I find that tea and sweets help with just about everything.”

“You are not wrong. I think that’s probably why I bake so much.”

“You bake?” Jaehyun turned toward him, his brow arched. “I would not have assumed that about you.”

“Oh? I love to cook, do it all the time.”

“Hmm… You are very interesting, Taeyong.”

Taeyong didn’t think so, but he thanked Jaehyun all the same.

They exchanged numbers before they went their separate ways – Jaehyun headed to his next class; Taeyong, home.

Taeyong felt a buzz of energy as he walked home, thinking about the night ahead of him.

 

Taeyong and Jaehyun got together later that evening for their first study session. Taeyong was surprised to find that it was much easier to learn with Jaehyun. The way he explained the problems got through to Taeyong in a way that their professor’s lectures never fully did.

It probably didn’t hurt that Jaehyun was painfully attractive. It was not difficult to focus on him.

While he studied, Jaehyun’s bangs fell over his eyes, casting intricate shadows on his forehead. In deep concentration, he nibbled at his bottom lip and sucked in his cheeks occasionally. Taeyong wondered if he even realized he was doing it.

They continued their study sessions through the week. When Jaehyun sent a text to ask if he’d like to meet up Friday afternoon, Taeyong was surprised. Friday was technically the weekend. Who wanted to spend their weekend tutoring someone? Especially in the evilest of subjects.

Unless Jaehyun had ulterior motives for wanting to meet up. Taeyong felt giddy and jumpy as he zipped around his apartment, gathering his things, cleaning up his breakfast dishes, and changing his outfit three times.

He was sure this was not an ordinary study session. This was a study _date_.

A date.

With Jaehyun.

Painfully cute, dimpled Jaehyun with the sweet voice and perfect laugh.

This crush certainly had developed quickly.

He rushed quickly out of the apartment and practically ran out of the building, focused on the prospect of this being the start of something great with Jaehyun.

He opted to jog to the coffeehouse to clear his mind of the nagging thought that he’d just lost what he thought would be the start of something great with Ten…

 

Jaehyun was seated at the back of the cozy coffeehouse, his latte and tea for Taeyong on the table in front of him along with two scones. Taeyong seemed to be a straightforward tea drinker. Simple chai, nothing fancy.

Taeyong spotted him right off, smiled and waved as he quickly walked over to him. Jaehyun stood to greet him with a quick side hug. It was akin to a “bro hug” but the physical contact still made Taeyong feel warm and fuzzy inside.

“Getting a bit cold outside,” Jaehyun commented as Taeyong settled into the booth seat across from him.

“Yeah, it is. I hope we’ll get snow soon. I love snow.”

“Me too! We could build a snowman together. We can model it after a great mathematician and call it part of our studies.” He laughed when Taeyong snarled his nose.

“You’ll ruin snow for me if you keep talking like that.”

Jaehyun laughed loudly. “Okay, no Isaac Newton snowmen then.”

Taeyong chuckled and sipped at his tea. Too hot, he decided, and placed it back on the table. “Might be fun to attempt that hair in snow form, though…”

“Ah! We should do it then!”

“I won’t give you a hard no, but I’m not promising anything either.”

“I’ll take that as a soft yes and be happy.” Jaehyun sipped his latte which was hot, but bearable. His has been served in a real mug while he’d ordered Taeyong’s tea in a to-go cup to keep it warmer until he arrived. “You ready to study?”

Taeyong groaned. “I was hoping we could just continue to talk about snowmen and Isaac Newton’s hair.”

“We could… But, as your tutor, I would feel remiss for not completely preparing you for next week’s test.”

“I could fire you as my tutor.”

“Well, that would be rude. And unwise. You’re terrible at calculus.”

“That’s a bit rude…”

Jaehyun just laughed and pulled out his calculus textbook, signaling the start of their study session and effectively dampening Taeyong’s bright mood.

Jaehyun began by explaining the section in which they’d been working and then left Taeyong to work on the problems given at the end.

Taeyong struggled along, but he knew he was doing much better than he would have done without Jaehyun. He was working on his forth problem when he heard Jaehyun chuckle.

“Are you laughing at how slow I am?”

When he looked up, Jaehyun’s eyes were glued to his phone. “Hmm?” Jaehyun glanced up, a smile on his face, his eyes bright. “Oh, no. Sorry. My phone. Did I distract you?” He placed the phone screen side down on the table and focused on Taeyong. “Are you struggling?”

“No. I just thought you were laughing at me.”

“No, no. Do you need help?”

“No. I’m getting there.”

Taeyong resumed scribbling out his work but occasionally glanced over at Jaehyun from the corner of his eye. Jaehyun was smiling in a way he’d not seen before. The smile was so wide that his eyes disappeared completely. He desperately wanted to know what was making him smile like that.

He placed his pencil on the table and looked up. Jaehyun’s pink cheeks had to be aching from holding that wide grin. “Are you watching cat videos?” he joked.

There was a moment before Jaehyun finally looked up, bewildered. The smile fell slightly. “Hmm? Sorry, what?”

“Nothing, I just, uh, I just joked… I asked if you were watching cat videos. I’ve never seen anyone smile as much as you are unless there was a cat or puppy involved.”

“Oh, well, basically a puppy.” The smile returned. If pure happiness could take on a physical form, it would be Jaehyun in that moment.

“ _Basically_ a puppy? What do you mean?” Taeyong couldn’t explain the knot of worry that had settled in the pit of his stomach.

Then Jaehyun said, “It’s my boyfriend,” and explained everything.

“Oh…” Taeyong fought to keep his face from falling.

Jaehyun didn’t seem to notice that he’d just shattered the stupid fantasy that Taeyong had created. “He’s upset that I’ve been tutoring so much lately. His houseguest has just gone and he’s finally free, so he expects me to drop my plans and spend time with him. Not in a controlling sort of way, I don’t mean that. He’s just like an insistent puppy, you know what I mean?”

Taeyong nodded, though he had no idea. He’d never had a boyfriend, of any kind, much less a puppy-like boyfriend that couldn’t get enough attention from him.

“He’s sending me the cutest selfies,” Jaehyun continued, still unaware of the torture he was inflicting upon Taeyong. “Trying to lure me away. Do you want to see him?”

“No,” Taeyong blurted before he could stop himself.

Jaehyun’s face twisted. He couldn’t imagine anyone not wanting to look at his perfect, adorable boyfriend.

“I’m sorry. What did you say? I got… lost.” Taeyong fumbled to fix the error and erase the sad bewilderment from Jaehyun’s face.

“Oh, I just… I thought you might want to see a photo, so you’d know why I’m laughing and everything.”

Taeyong silently scolded himself for being rude and nodded at Jaehyun.

Jaehyun seemed to forget any rudeness as soon as he held up his phone to search through his photos. The bright smile returned to his face and he scooted closer to Taeyong.

Taeyong had been trying to figure out a way to sit closer to Jaehyun since he’d arrived and felt this was a cruel irony. He finally got what he wanted. Jaehyun’s leg even brushed against his…

But, the boyfriend.

“This is what I laughed at. He’s pouting and cuddling a stuffed bear that I bought him. He’s so childish.” Jaehyun rolled his eyes, laughing in the way that used to make Taeyong smile but now just kind of made him sad.

He shifted in his seat, uncomfortable for no reason other than being utterly annoyed with himself. Why should he begrudge Jaehyun, an incredibly nice guy, an amazing boyfriend? It’s not as if Jaehyun had ever made a move on him, had ever shown any romantic interest him.

It was Ten all over again.

What was wrong with him?

“Taeyong?”

Taeyong jolted. “Hmm? Oh, sorry. I was thinking about something.”

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, no, I’m great. Where’s the, uh, photo you wanted to show me?”

Jaehyun’s brow creased and he looked like he might say something else but thought better of it. “Oh, here he is.” He slowly turned the phone toward Taeyong.

Taeyong’s stomach dropped as soon as his eyes landed on Jaehyun’s screen. He gaped at the screen, snatched the phone away from Jaehyun to get a closer look.

Jaehyun, befuddled by his actions, tried to laugh it off, making a joke about how gorgeous he was. “He’s… taken, though.” His laughter had changed completely, coming out in short little “heh-heh” gasps.

Taeyong looked at him, his eyes as hard and cold as marble. “ _This_ … is your boyfriend?”

“Y – es?” Jaehyun’s face fell. “What?”

“ _This_ guy?” Taeyong held the phone in one hand, pointing at the screen with is other. “This guy… is your boyfriend?!”

Jaehyun jerked the phone back, his brow knitted tightly. “Yeah, that’s my boyfriend. What is the problem?” He stuffed his phone back into his pocket and scooted away from Taeyong.

Taeyong’s jaw clenched and he crossed his arms over his chest. “I hate to break it to you, but your boyfriend is sleeping with my neighbor.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope that you guys enjoyed this!! I hadn't really planned for any of this to happen but when someone requested that Jaehyun make an appearance, it all just came to me! Please do comment below to let me know what you think of this chapter!!
> 
> I absolutely love reading your comments. They really make my day!! You're all absolutely wonderful!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Backtracking a little to finally get that awkward Johnny and Ten conversation...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all - You're all wonderful! Thanks so much for all the comments and the support. If you're following me on Twitter, double thanks! If you've ever mentioned me on Twitter and included a photo/gif of NCT, all the thanks in the world. Those brighten my day! Chatting with you guys in any capacity makes me happy, so thank you, thank you!
> 
> Secondly, sorry I've been a bit slow with some of the comments. I am without wifi most of the time. *cries a river* And busy. And blah. I'm sorry!!
> 
> This chapter is dedicated to all my mutuals on Twitter that send me lovely inspiration and support. I don't want to put your usernames here, but y'all know who you are! Enjoy!! <33

Despite Johnny’s laid back wave, when Ten heard, “We need to talk,” his body went rigid. Why would Taeyong’s hulking best friend possibly need to talk to him?

He held tight to the door, opened just enough to allow room for him to stand, resisting the urge to slam it in Johnny’s face. “About what? If this is about your friend...” He did not trust himself to say Taeyong’s name without betraying the emotion that the other man brought out in him. “I don’t want to talk about it. Actually, you should just leave. We’ve got nothing to talk about.”

Ten stepped back into his apartment and began to shut the door.

Johnny’s arm darted out, his forearm smacking against the door, and forced it open. “Can you just let me say my piece, please?”

Ten backed up, still holding the door, but at an arm’s length. Ten had not been blessed with the gift of excessive height. Johnny loomed over him.

“I’m not trying to be a dick.”

When Johnny backed off a little, Ten let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “I... Why are you here? You don’t like me and I don’t... We have nothing to talk about.”

“Look... I know that we don’t like each other and that’s probably my deal because...” Johnny cut off, shaking his head. His disheveled brown hair fell into his eyes.

Ten marveled at how Johnny somehow looked less threatening. Upon closer inspection, Ten could see dark circles under Johnny’s eyes. He looked more like someone to be pitied than feared. Could something be wrong with Taeyong that kept his best friend up at night? Or maybe Johnny was just one for partying into the late hours of the night.

“Just come in and get on with it.” Ten walked away from the door. “Close that behind you,” he added as he walked toward his small kitchen. “I’m having tea...” He left it hanging because he didn’t actually want to offer Johnny anything, but it was polite to at least pretend to do so.

Johnny shut the door and slowly walked further into the apartment. He glanced around. Everything looked normal, maybe too neat. Taeyong had always said the place was haunted, and it kind of creeped him out.  First sign of a ghostly precense and he was out. Taeyong could fix his own screwed up relationship if he had a malevolent spirit coming at him. Even a benevolent one. Spirits, of any kind, were a no-go.

“I’m good,” he finally said in response to Ten’s pseudo offer.  “Look, like I said...”

“I heard what you already said. Get on with what you haven’t said, so you can leave.”

Johnny made a snorting, scoffing sound. “I don’t understand why Tae likes you so much. You’re kind of an asshole.” He hoped the apartment was haunted. It would serve this jerk right.

Ten tried not to get hung up on “Tae likes you so much,” as he snapped, “What reason do I have to be nice to you?”

Johnny thought for a moment and couldn’t come up with a reason why either of them should be anything to each other. They didn’t know each other well enough to have so much tension between them. “You know that Tae likes you and things got all fucked up between you two because... You’re not really fucking that tall guy with the eyebrows, right?”

Ten jolted and tea sloshed out of his cup onto the ugly beige linoleum kitchen floor. “I... It’s none of your business who I... Why would you ask me that?”

“Right, that’s what I thought. Not fucking him, so why did he tell Tae that you were?”

Ten sighed and took a sip of his tea. It was too hot and bitter. He placed the cup on the counter and snatched the rag from the counter to clean up the drops on the floor. He was surprised that Johnny could keep quiet long enough for him to get it done. When he straightened up, he rewarded Johnny’s good behavior (like a dog, he thought...) with a truthful response. “He’s an idiot. You two would probably make good friends.”

“You’re such a dick.” Johnny rolled his eyes. “Good grief. To hear Taeyong talk, you would think you were an angel descended straight from heaven, but you’re just an asshole. Fuck it. I came here to fix things, but losing your ass was probably the best thing that could have happened to him. I’m leaving.”

Ten jolted forwards, arm outstretched, when Johnny started away. “Wait, no... Fix things?” His fist closed around a section of Johnny’s shirtsleeve. “What... What do you mean?” He released his hold on Johnny’s shirt when Johnny stopped walking and attempted to turn back.

Johnny’s jaw tensed. His forehead was creased. “Tell me why I should bother... You let him believe you’re having sex with some other guy, you don’t talk to him...”

“Why would he care who I’m having sex with? And besides...” Ten stared at the floor. His voice was barely above a whisper when he spoke again. “He kissed that guy... at the bar. I saw him.”

“He didn’t kiss that guy. He... sort of, bumped his face with his face. I pushed him.”

Ten’s eyes darted up from the floor. “You... what?”

“I know... It was really stupid, but he thought you and Eyebrows were fucking and he was all whiny about it and I hate a whiny Taeyong, so I tried to help. It backfired.” Johnny paused, heaving a sigh. “He hasn’t talked to me since,” he admitted, his voice low and sad.

Ten shifted his weight, crossing and uncrossing his arms. “I want to feel sorry for you because you look pathetic, but that is honestly the dumbest thing I have ever heard. Why would you...? It doesn’t make any sense.”

“Well, it worked one level, didn’t it? It upset you.”

“No, I mean, yeah, but... It doesn’t matter.”

“Look, if I ask you a serious question, all crap aside... Will you answer me truthfully, all crap aside?”

Ten nodded, but offered no further commitment.

“Do you like him? Do you actually like him?”

Ten looked away, his cheeks blushed.

Johnny had his answer, but he waited for a verbal response from Ten.

“Yeah, I like him,” Ten finally admitted. He moved away to add honey to his tea. He took a small sip. It was only a bit better, but it would do. “I really do like him. He’s nice. Genuinely nice. So many people are nice assholes. You know what I mean?”

Johnny nodded. “Nice to your face. Asshole when you turn. I prefer to be asshole all the way around, so you know what you’re getting.”

Ten laughed, genuinely, not in a mocking way. Something he never thought he would do in the presence of Johnny. “Good plan.” Ten sipped his tea again, added more honey.

“I’ll take a cup, if you don’t mind.”

“You really don’t want it. It tastes like shit. All the honey in the world can’t save it.” He laughed. “Taeyong makes really good tea.”

“The kid makes really good anything. He’s a wizard in the kitchen. If he went to Hogwarts, they’d let him prepare the feasts.”

Ten giggled. “You like Harry Potter?”

“Not really... Sort of. Taeyong is a massive fan.”

“I could see that about him. Hufflepuff too.”

“Definitely.”

“You’re a Slytherin, surely.”

“That’s what he tells me.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I really don’t care. Other than to say, I wouldn’t hate sleeping next to that blond one.” He wiggled his brows. “In the last movie, of course, not the early ones. I’m not a weirdo.”

Ten laughed as he emptied the teapot and his cup, lamenting the wasted tea and water. “I have bottled water, if you’re thirsty.”

“Nah, I was just going to take a cup of tea. And I should be going. I just... wanted to clear things up. He’s not seeing that guy. I am, actually.” He chuckled. “Bit weird. Taeyong was mad at me about it.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. Taeil – that's the guy – says it’s because I was hooking up with him while Taeyong was being upset over you. He’s probably right. He seems to be right about everything.”

“Sounds reasonable. Tae was... really upset?”

“Yeah, he was... He really likes you. I don’t want to overstep and say things that he should say to you, but he does really like you. You should talk to him. Explain things to him. I’d explain for you, but he won’t take my calls.”

“If... When I talk to him, I’ll put in a good word for you.”

Johnny shook his head rapidly. “No! Don’t even tell him I talked to you! He’ll be so mad at me. He told me never to talk to you. Ever.”

“Why?”

“Because he thinks I’m an idiot.”

“Well, that makes sense...”

“Hey, come on now. I thought we were finding a common ground here.”

When Ten laughed again, Johnny began to understand why Taeyong found him so adorable. He had a sweet laugh and the smile that lingered after the sound was gone was definitely adorable.

Johnny wished him good luck as he left. “I hope everything works out between you two. I’m sorry to have played a role in... fucking it up, you know?”

Ten shook his head and smiled at him. “Don’t worry about it. My mom always says that if something is meant to be, it will be.” He shrugged. “She’s always right, so... If it’s meant to be okay, our idiot friends won’t screw it up completely.”

“Hey, any chance I can get your idiot friend’s number? He might be an idiot, but he’s pretty hot.”

“Absolutely not. He’s got a boyfriend and, from the sound of it, this Taeil is a good dude that might balance out your idiocy. Don’t screw it up.”

“You’re still kind of a jerk, but that sounds like something Taeyong would say, so I’ll take the advice.” He waved as he started down the hall. “See you around, Ten. Remember – not a word to Taeyong about me coming here!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!!! Sorry the update wasn't quicker. TT Hope you all liked the little platonic Johnten moment. <3 Up next - awkward Jaeyong and MAYBE that Taeten reunion we've all been waiting for. MAYBE.
> 
> I will try to update as quickly as possible. Thanks so much to everyone patiently waiting. Y'all are everything!!
> 
> PLEASE leave comments below if you liked this chapter or even if you didn't (just don't be a jerk, that's not nice). I would love to hear what you all thought!!! Also, as always, if you all have requests that you'd like to see in the fic, just let me know. I try very hard to include your suggestions. We only have Jaehyunnie because someone requested him. <33
> 
> Thank you again!! To everyone that reads, comments, leaves kudos, follows my Twitter or IG, you are all great. Fanfic authors have only comments and messages to know that we're doing well. It means so much!!! <3333


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaehyun reacts to Taeyong's news about Lucas...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another update already! What?! Yeah, I love you guys and I've been writing away, so another update, yay!
> 
> Thanks so much to everyone that left lovely comments on the last chapter. And to everyone who replies to my tweets or mentions me. I appreciate you! If you're not already following me, go do it! My Twitter is @ames_kpopfics. I post updates, ramblings about the fic, polls, and the cutest Taeten aesthetics! <33

Jaehyun stared blankly for a moment and then erupted with laughter.

Taeyong jolted backward, his face pinched. “Well, I’m glad you’re taking the news well,” he muttered, rolling his eyes.

There was something wrong with the whole lot of them and he wondered again what was so wrong with him that he gravitated toward these people.

He started to gather his things.

“No, wait…” Jaehyun waved his hand in front of him effectively stopping Taeyong mid-movement. “There is _no way_ that Lucas is sleeping with your neighbor.” He shook his head, laughing so hard that there were tears in the corners of his eyes. “Zero chance. He’s not like that. He’d never do it.”

“Well, he told me himself, so whatever. You don’t have to believe it, but your dickhead boyfriend ruined my life.” Dramatic, but he was seething. It seemed fitting.

Jaehyun stopped laughing abruptly. “Alright. You’re a nice guy, Taeyong, but watch what you say about my boyfriend.”

“Tell your boyfriend to watch what he does in my apartment building, huh? No one wants to see him in his freaking boxers, okay?”

“What are you talking about?! You must be mistaken. Lucas would seriously never.” He pulled is phone out and showed another picture of Lucas. This time, Lucas was staring directly into the camera, wide smile on display. No mistaking him.

“Yeah, that’s the asshole that’s sleeping with my neighbor and all-too-happy to share the details about his ‘wild night’ with me. Get mad all you want, but…”

“Wait, wait! ‘Wild night.’ Oh, my gosh! You’re the asshole neighbor!”

Taeyong shook his head rapidly, his eyes wide. “No! Your boyfriend is the asshole!”

Jaehyun laughed so hard that he doubled over. “Lucas told me about you! He never said your name, though.” He smacked the table, laughing harder. “Tennie, right? He’s your neighbor.”

Taeyong’s arms crossed tightly over his chest. He glared at Jaehyun. “Yes.”

“Yeah, you’re the guy that like had sex at a club or something and Ten was…” He waved a hand in front of him and shook his head. “Whatever, anyway, yeah! Lucas didn’t sleep with Ten. He just told you that he did.”

He glared incredulously at Jaehyun. “Really? Yeah, that sounds believable. Look, I don’t even care. You, your asshole boyfriend, and Ten can all stay the hell away from me.” He shoved his things into his bag, dug around for money that he threw on the table. “For the tea,” he said.

“Taeyong, please don’t go. Look, I’m sorry about Lucas. He’s just very protective of Ten. He’s his best friend and you hurt him, so… Well, it was a little misguided and stupid, but he was just trying to, I don’t know, protect Ten.”

“From what?! I didn’t do anything to him.”

“Well, you might want to talk to Ten.”

“I’ve been having a great time not talking to him, so I’d rather not, thanks.” Taeyong stood, completely enraged that his week of “getting over Ten” had somehow looped right back to TEN.

“Taeyong, wait, seriously… Look, it’s not really my place to say this… But I think Ten must have, I don’t know, liked you or something. He saw you having sex or making out with some guy at a gay bar? I have no idea. Lucas is given to fits of dramatics and exaggerations, so…”

Though he would have rather walked out, Taeyong slid back into the booth to explain. He didn’t want people to think he was out having sex with guys in bars. It was so… unsanitary. “I never had sex with anyone at a bar,” he hissed. “I barely kissed a guy and it wasn’t… I don’t have to explain myself to you or anyone. Ten didn’t like me, doesn’t like me. And I don’t care, alright?”

“It’s not my place, again, but you’re getting pretty worked up over something, or someone, you don’t care about…” Jaehyun frowned sympathetically. “If you like Ten, you should talk to him. I think there’s been some huge misunderstanding between the two of you. I could be wrong, because I really only have Lucas’ explanation of events and he’s… unreliable.”

Taeyong still desperately wanted to hate Lucas. “If he’s so unreliable, how do you know he’s not cheating on you?”

“He’s unreliable in storytelling. He exaggerates everything and, especially where Ten is considered, he adds and subtracts details to protect Ten. They’re best friends. They’re definitely not sleeping with each other. They would never, not even if they were both single. Trust me on this. If you like Ten at all, just go talk to him.”

Taeyong’s shoulders sagged when he let out a heavy sigh. “I don’t think I’ll bother, but… Thanks, I guess.” Taeyong stood again, hitching his bag up onto his shoulder.

“Wait, do you want to finish working on the assignment? I won’t bring up Lucas or Ten.”

“I’ll make do on my own,” Taeyong muttered as he walked away.

Jaehyun watched him go, wondering if he should do something. Call out to him, go after him, apologize. What business was it of his if Taeyong and Ten had feelings for each other?

It wasn’t his business at all, but he hated to see two people fall apart over a misunderstanding when they really cared for each other. He and Lucas had to fight through a lot to be together. His parents were mean and homophobic and Lucas’ parents refused to believe that Lucas was gay. They referred to Jaehyun as his “little friend” and lived in a bubble of denial. Jaehyun thought it better than his angry father who punched him in the face when he came out and his mother who told him she no longer had a son, but it was still sad.

If Ten and Taeyong had no good reason to be driven apart, why should they be?

He finished his tea, stewed over the ordeal, stared at his homework, stewed some more, and finally pulled out his phone to call Taeyong.

 

When Johnny left, Ten fluttered around his apartment. He was filled with a renewed hope. Taeyong hadn’t kissed the other guy. He would tell him that Lucas was nothing but his idiot friend, and they would…

Well, that bit stumped him. He wasn’t sure what they would do.

They wouldn’t run off into the sunset. That was for cheesy Old Hollywood or romance novels, but… They would be… something. They would, at the least, be more than they were now which was angry and avoiding the sight of one another.

He sat on the window seat, watching for Taeyong, fidgeting anxiously. When he could sit no longer, he fluttered into his room. He would change into a cute outfit – pink tee, skinny jeans, cream cardigan.

He looked himself over in the mirror, ran a hand through his hair. He looked cute. His shirt almost matched Taeyong’s hair. Matching his shirt to Taeyong’s hair sounded like a cheesy couple thing, but he liked it. It was silly. He smiled at his reflection and bounced off to the window seat.

He sat still for three minutes before he jumped up again. His limbs tingled with energy. He must do something.

A peace offering! He would go out and buy a peace offering.

But what?

Take out?

No, that would be an insult to Taeyong, the master chef.

His face fell when he realized what the perfect peace offering would be… If he could get the courage to buy it.

 

“Can I help you?”

Ten jumped when a man approached him in the produce section of the market.

“Sorry to startle you,” he said with a smile. “I just noticed that you look particularly worried over these melons. Can I help you choose one?”

“Err…” Ten hummed. “I don’t know if I actually want one.”

“They’re the last of the season!” The man’s chipper voice was pleasant enough, but Ten felt sick to his stomach. Fruit surrounded him on all sides – melons, bananas, apples. All creepy and… fruity.

What was he thinking?

Taeyong did not need a watermelon. He could buy nice, innocent, non-threatening cookies for a peace offering.

Or a cake.

Ten cakes.

He would rather finance a car for Taeyong than touch a watermelon.

But Taeyong would love the watermelon so much and he’d finally see the smile he’d been missing all week.

“Sir, are you okay?”

Ten jumped. “Yeah, sorry, I just… I don’t… I’ve never had watermelon before and these are all bigger than me. I don’t think I need one this big.”

That sounded plausible. Not at all like he had an irrational fear of fruit…

“Oh! Sure, let me show you some of our mini melons!” The man placed his hand at the back of his shoulder and steered him toward a back wall. “Never had a watermelon, huh? You are missing out! They’re delicious!”

Ten attempted to smile, but feared he looked queasy rather than happy. He would love to know how Taeyong and this guy could get so excited over watermelon.

Well, this guy was being paid to be a ray of sunshine, but Taeyong had no excuse to be so… depraved.

“Here, they are!” The man waved his arm over a display of miniaturized evil.

Ten looked from the mini melons to the man – boy, now that Ten had a better look at him. He looked quite young. Ten wondered how someone so young could be so misguided to love something so creepy.

“Do these look a better size?” The boy asked brightly. “They’re the smallest we have. I promise you won’t regret buying one!”

Was he getting a commission for peddling this evil fruit?

“I don’t know… I mean, yes. I… Truthfully, I hate fruit.”

The boy gasped. “Wow! I’ve never met someone who hated fruit. Well, you are starting with a great one. It’s sweet and juicy and delicious! It will help you become a lover of fruit!”

Not likely.

Ten watched the boy as he darted forward and began to knock on the tiny melons. They were only slightly bigger than softballs, but still so… creepy.

“You want one that sounds hollow inside,” the boy explained.

Ten nodded, though he barely heard a word. “Wait, wait. Do these have seeds? I was told that you could buy one without seeds.”

The boy plucked one off the shelf and held it out to him. Ten recoiled slightly, but the boy didn’t seem to notice. “These are seedless, very convenient. This one sounds perfect too!” He knocked on it as if to prove a point to Ten, who had no interest in his creepy hollow watermelon.

“Yeah, okay, I’ll take it.”

“Lucky you! Let me get you a produce bag.”

Ten thanked God for the bag as the boy walked away but was dismayed a moment later when he returned with a transparent green bag. He would still be able to see it.

“Here you are, Sir!” He held the bagged melon out to him. “If you need help with anything else, my name is Donghyuck and I’d be happy to help you!”

Ten nodded. “Yeah, thanks a lot. You were very helpful.” Clutched in his left fist, the melon bag hung at his side. He avoided looking at his as he navigated quickly through the market to the check-out.

He took a paper bag over plastic to hide the melon and set off for home with the melon bag strapped to his Vespa.

This better be worth the torture of shopping in the fruit section.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Donghyuckie!!! Sorry guys, but I couldn't resist bringing a little sunshine to the fic. I haven't decided yet if he'll have a larger role or if he'll just forever me the cutie that helped Ten pick out some fruit. lol If you have a particular opinion on our sunshine's role in the fic, let me know in the comments below!! <3
> 
> Also... Is anyone else missing Mrs. Collins?? I miss Taeyong's second grandma. :(
> 
> Let me know what you all thought of this chapter. I'm hard at work on the next chapter, so it shouldn't be long on the next update. *fingers crossed*
> 
> If you'd like a little spoiler of things to come, check out my Twitter where I have a very foreshadowing moodboard posted. :')


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Taeten reunion we've all been waiting for~
> 
> Taeyong and Ten finally try to resolve some of the issues created by their friends' idiocy and, let's be real, their own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that it has taken 300 years to get Taeten back together, but this chapter is extra long and I hope you all enjoy it!!
> 
> I try so very hard to keep these updates consistent and quick, but life doesn't always allow that. Thank you to everyone for being understanding! I hope you love this!

When Ten spotted Taeyong coming up the walk, he vaulted off the window seat and dashed to the kitchen where the watermelon was still hidden in the paper bag. He took a deep breath and slowly reached inside the bag to remove it.

He cringed as he removed the plastic bag from the watermelon. It was so heavy and he recalled the unsettling hollow sound that it made when the cute guy at the market, Donghyuck, had knocked on it.

He could hear Taeyong’s footsteps in the corridor. Taking a deep breath, he clutched the watermelon under one arm (out of sight, but not out of mind) and walked toward the door to his apartment.

When he pulled it open, he spotted Taeyong across the hall, juggling his phone, a backpack that was slipping off his shoulder, and the key to his apartment.

“It’s really okay,” he said to whomever was on the other end of the phone call. “I’m sorry about that. Yeah...” Taeyong laughed and a vice tightened on Ten’s heart. He missed that laugh. “Well, let me make it up to you. Come by my place tomorrow. I’ll make dinner for us.”

Taeyong paused with the key in the lock and leaned against the door. Ten ducked back into his apartment, leaving the door open just enough to eavesdrop.

“I would love to cook for you... Yeah, don’t worry... Just be here...” Taeyong’s loud laughter filled the hallway then. If Ten’s heart hadn’t been in a vice, it would have dropped to the floor.

He heard the key turn in Taeyong’s door, the door open.

He closed his door, but not before hearing Taeyong giggle and say, “You know how you can repay me, if you must.”

 

“WHAT?!” Lucas shouted down the phone.

Ten jerked the phone away from his ear.

“Ten! What?”

Ten slowly brought the phone back to his face. “Lucas...”

“What do you want?”

“Can I come over?” Ten’s lip quivered, but his voice didn’t betray him.

“No. Dude, you just left and Jaehyun just got here. I told you that he’s been tutoring that charity case all week. I just started imagining what it will be like to get him naked again and YOU CALL. No. I love you, but no.”

Ten sniffed. “I’m sorry.”

“Wait, wait. Jae, put your clothes back on. Are you crying?”

Ten could hear shuffling and scratching as Lucas climbed out of bed or off the couch, wherever he had planned to get Jaehyun naked. “I’m fine. I’m sorry. Go back to whatever.”

“No. Jaehyun already put his pants back on. What's going on? Please tell me this isn’t about the pink haired idiot. Please. Ten. We discussed this.”

“He has a boyfriend,” Ten blurted. “I heard them talking. I bought him a watermelon and I was going to take it and I was scared but I had it under my arm but he...”

“Ten, slow down. I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

“He has a boyfriend. I was going to talk to him and...”

“Why were you going to talk to that asshole?”

Ten heard Jaehyun in the background, “Lucas, what’s going on?”

Lucas’ voice was muffled when he replied, “That asshole guy I told you about... He’s messing with Ten again.” More scratching and Lucas returned, “Don’t talk to him, you got it? Just forget about him. Who cares if he has a boyfriend?”

“He doesn’t have a boyfriend,” the quiet voice of Jaehyun protested.

Lucas sounded like he was in a tunnel when he spoke again. “What? How do you know? You don’t even know him.”

“I do.”

“What is he talking about? Lucas!”

“Hang on, Ten... What are you talking about?”

“I’ve been tutoring him, Ten’s neighbor... Taeyong, right?”

“I don’t know his fucking name. Asshole with the pink hair.”

“He’s not an asshole, Lucas.”

“Hey! He hurt my best friend and you’re my boyfriend, so you have to hate him.”

“No. No, I don’t.” Jaehyun was always calmer with Lucas than he probably deserved.

“You do! And...” Lucas’ voice boomed in Ten’s ear again. “LEAVE HIM ALONE, TEN! Do you understand me? Let him go fuck whoever he wants and forget about him! His boyfriend is probably an idiot too.”

“Doesn’t have a boyfriend,” Jaehyun insisted calmly.

“How does he know?” Ten asked. “I heard him making a date on the phone. He told his boyfriend that he would cook for him. Why does Jaehyun say he doesn’t have a boyfriend?”

A loud gust of breath crackled over the phone when Ten sighed heavily. “I’m putting you on speaker. I’m not repeating this idiot crap, but I know that you won’t give up. Tell Jae what you just said.”

After Ten repeated himself, Jaehyun said, “That was me. I was talking to him just before I got here.”

“WHAT?!” Lucas shrieked. “You were making a date with this fucker?”

“Lower your voice, Lucas, and watch your language, for crying out loud. I wasn’t making a date with him. I was arranging to meet for another study session. He left angry today because I told him that I knew you and Ten. He’s convinced that you’re sleeping with Ten. I wonder why. You idiot.”

Ten heard a loud smacking sound followed by a wail from his best friend. “Ouch!! Jaehyunnie! Don’t smack me.”

“I smacked your arm, calm down. Stop telling people that you’re sleeping around! It makes me look like an idiot.”

“I only told him because...”

“Because nothing. You had no good reason to tell him that. He didn’t do anything wrong. This is one big misunderstanding and it’s completely stupid. Ten, go talk to him right now. I told him to talk to you, but he was upset and probably embarrassed, so he won’t. Just go talk to him. He explained things to me and there are so many stupid misunderstandings. You guys need to work it out, if you actually like him.”

“I do like him.”

Lucas groaned and Ten knew he was rolling his eyes. He heard another smack and thanked Jaehyun.

“Leave him alone, Lucas. If this guy can make him happy, don’t mess with that. Everyone deserves to be happy.”

“Alright, fine. Ten, go talk to Pink Hair. I need to get Jaehyun naked immediately.”

Ten started to say goodbye, but he heard a squeaking sound from Jaehyun and then the call ended abruptly.

He smiled and shoved his phone into his pocket. He dreamed of having a relationship like Lucas and Jaehyun. Jaehyun was calm, understanding, and caring – perfect for Lucas who could be impulsive and quick to judge. Ten wanted someone to perfectly compliment him – someone he could protect, but that would still take care of him, someone that cooked for him, didn’t tease him about his fear of fruits or his excessive use of emojis...

Ten wanted Taeyong.

 

He crept back into the kitchen like he thought the tiny watermelon might jump out from its hiding place on the counter and attack him. He scooped it up quickly before he could talk himself out of it and ran toward the door with it tucked under his arm.

He knocked one Taeyong’s door with his free hand and then held the melon in both hands, as far away from his body as possible.

“Hang on! Coming!”

Ten bounced from one foot to the other, anxious to be free of the melon. He’d begun to wonder why it sounded so hollow. Had the fleshy pink insides been devoured by some weird insects living inside like that creepy Tim Burton movie with the peach? He hadn’t seen a hole that could have been the entryway for creepy insects, but he hadn’t inspected it. He was certain there were worms and other insects living inside.

He bounced faster, nearly dropping the melon.

“Sorry, Mrs. ...” The door opened to reveal Taeyong, his pink hair dripping wet, white tee askew and stuck to his obviously wet torso.

Ten couldn’t look further, couldn’t enjoy the sight of freshly showered Taeyong.

“TAKE IT. PLEASE JUST TAKE IT.” He hopped around, nearly launching the small melon at Taeyong.

Taeyong hadn’t even noticed the melon, but he quickly took it and rushed into his apartment with it.

Ten stood outside the door, doing an odd, shivering dance, squeaking.

“Ten... Are you alright?”

“There are insects inside that watermelon. Glowing worms and spiders and I don’t even know. Oh, my gosh. I touched it! It was in my apartment.”

“Ten... What?” Taeyong darted back inside to get a closer look at the fruit. When he returned, he grabbed Ten’s arm to stop his flailing, bouncing spins. “Ten... Ten! There’s nothing wrong with that melon. There are no insects... There would be a hole.”

“Are you sure? It’s like the peach...”

“What peach? Are you drunk?”

Ten abruptly stopped moving. “Of course, I’m not drunk.”

“Forgive me for the assumption, but you’re talking about glow worms and spiders being inside a perfect melon.” Taeyong released his grip on Ten and threw his hands in the air.

“Sorry... I just got really freaked out. It sounds hollow, you know? Donghyuck said so.”

“Who is Donghyuck?” Taeyong shook his head.  “If it sounds hollow, that’s good. That means it will taste better. They sound hollow when they’re ripe.”

“Because insects ate all the stuff out?”

“No. How would they get inside to eat the stuff out? It’s just because they’re ripening. I promise they taste better.”

“No bugs? You swear?”

Taeyong sighed and smiled sympathetically. “I swear.”

“Thank God. I was going to fumigate my apartment.”

“Don’t do that. You’re fine. Why did you even... bring the watermelon, though? I... haven’t seen you in a while.” Taeyong stared at the floor, finally straightening his shirt. His torso was still damp from his recent shower. He assumed Ten was Mrs. Collins at the door and didn’t want to keep her waiting while he toweled off.

“Yeah, I know... I... Sorry.”

“No, yeah, I’m glad to see you haven’t starved to death.”

“Nearly did.” Ten chuckled awkwardly.

“Right, yeah...”

Taeyong wiggled his toes on the carpet. Ten fidgeted, scuffed the toe of his shoe on the floor, wondered why he was still wearing his shoes inside Taeyong’s house, fidgeted some more.

“I didn’t sleep with Lucas,” Ten finally blurted after a few painfully awkward silent moments.

Taeyong’s head jerked up. “Yeah?” He tried to contain the bright smile that appeared. Despite already hearing this from Jaehyun, he was happy to get the truth from Ten. “I mean, it’s none of my business who you sleep with,” he added with a shrug of his shoulders.

“I’m not sleeping with anyone...”

Taeyong glanced nervously from Ten to his feet, to Ten’s feet, and back to Ten’s face. He had missed that gorgeous face so much.

“It’s not my business if you kiss random guys at bars either.” Ten shrugged his shoulders and looked away when Taeyong made eye contact with him.

“I didn’t kiss him!”

“You didn’t?”

Their eyes met again and remained locked. “No.” Taeyong sighed out the word. He was so tired of revolving around this huge misunderstanding. “I basically bumped his face with mine.”

“Bumped his face?” Ten’s brow furrowed in confusion.

“My friend’s an idiot.”

“Well, same.”

They both chuckled. The dimples under Ten’s eyes melted Taeyong.

“So, uh... Since you’re here... You want to try that watermelon?”

“Not really.”

“Come on! Live a little. I’ll let you join me for dinner if you do!”

“I...”

“I know you haven’t had a decent meal in a week.”

“I haven’t!!! It’s true.” Ten pretended to sob. He shut Taeyong’s door, kicked off his shoes, and walked back to join him at the counter. “What are you making for dinner? I don’t know if it’s worth it.”

“Pad Thai.”

Ten groaned and flailed around dramatically. “Kill me!”

“It’s just watermelon.” Taeyong took out a chef’s knife.

“Is that to stab me with?”

“Yes.” Taeyong playfully threatened him with the blade. Ten jumped like he’d actually stabbed him. “It’s for the melon, you goof.”

“Why do you need a knife that big?”

“The rind is hard. I have to cut through it.” Taeyong looked back to the melon, pierced it with the tip of the knife, and made a small incision.

The splitting rind cracked loudly. Ten shrieked, jumped, and crashed into the wall. “WHAT WAS THAT?!”

Wide-eyed, Taeyong spun toward him. “It... It’s the watermelon... I cut into it.”

“And it made that awful cracking noise??”

“Yeah... It’s hard.” Taeyong laughed. Ten was lucky that he’d purchased a tiny melon. A larger one would have been far louder. “Come here and feel it.”

Ten shook his head rapidly. “Nooo! No, I’m good. I... Can we skip the watermelon?”

“No. I promise you’ll love it. Cover your ears.”

Ten pouted. “You think I’m stupid, don’t you?”

Taeyong put the knife down and walked to Ten who had his eyes trained on the floor. “I don’t think you’re stupid. I _do_ think that you’ll like this if you give it a shot. And if you don’t, I will never bring it up again, okay?”

Ten glanced up, staring at Taeyong through his eyelashes. “Does this mean that we’ll be seeing each other regularly again?”

“Yes, it does.” Taeyong took Ten’s hands gently in his and brought them up to his ears. “Now, cover your ears.”

Ten nodded dumbly. Taeyong’s hands felt warm and soft, like a blanket fresh out of the dryer. When he moved away, Ten’s hands began to drop from his ears.

“Yah! I said cover your ears.” Taeyong laughed and bopped his hands back up.

Ten jolted and clamped his hands over his ears. He spun around as well, so he wouldn’t have to see the cursed melon splitting open.

Taeyong tittered. Ten was so cute. He was so glad that their misunderstanding seemed to be cleared up. If he could brigng himself to admit why it had bothered him so much to think that Ten was sleeping with Lucas, they would really be getting somewhere.

He shook his head. He didn’t have time to dwell on what he should be saying to Ten. He needed to carve the melon, so Ten could see what he’d been missing all this time. He quickly cut the watermelon into cubes and places it neatly on a plate. He discarded the rind in the trash bin under his sink, so Ten wouldn’t have to see it.

When Ten turned back all that remained of the terrifying melon was a small plate of red squares. Taeyong gestured toward them like he was showing off a car on a game show. “All done.”

“I... I don’t know. They’re kind of creepy looking.”

Taeyong looked from Ten to the melon. He didn’t think that Ten was stupid, but he didn’t understand his fear. To him, the small plate of watermelon looked delicious and inviting, the perfect snack. He could easily devour the entire plate in seconds. He tried to imagine what Ten could be seeing but failed.

“I’m sorry. I don’t see it that way.” He hummed, thinking of a way to fix this. “I have an idea. Close your eyes.”

Ten’s eyes did quite the opposite, shooting open wider than Taeyong had ever seen them.

“No, the other way,” Taeyong said with a laugh. “We close our eyes like this.” He exaggerated the action of closing his eyes several times, still chuckling.

“You’re not funny. I’m not closing my eyes. You’re going to force feed watermelon to me.”

“I wasn’t going to _force_ feed you, just feed you. That way you don’t have to see it coming at you and you don’t have to touch it. You’ll just taste it. It’s delicious, I swear. Sweet and...”

“Sweet and juicy, yeah, you said that. And I think Donghyuck did too.”

Taeyong crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back a little. “That’s the second time you’ve mentioned him. _Who_ is Donghyuck?”

“Oh, he’s the guy that picked out the melon. Works at the market a few blocks over.”

“Oh.” Taeyong relaxed his stance and smiled.  “Well, he’s right!”

“Yeah, you should take the watermelon and share it with him.”

Taeyong barked out a laugh. “But I want to share it with you...” He smiled sweetly, trying to look as cute as possible.

Ten grinned and moved closer to Taeyong. “Fine, fine. Feed me. But your Pad Thai better be amazing,” Ten grumbled.

“It’s delicious.”

Taeyong’s voice was low, almost a whisper, and Ten’s stomach flipped as he stepped closer to him. “Good,” he whispered, his eyes falling closed. “Feed me.”

As soon as Ten’s eyes closed, Taeyong’s face twisted. Suddenly, everything felt too intimate. What if his fingers touched Ten’s lips? What if Ten’s tongue somehow touched him?! That would be intimate, slightly erotic, _and_ unsanitary. He did a wiggly, uncomfortable dance before he opted to spear a watermelon cube with a tiny fork. No risk of touching anything.

“Open your mouth,” Taeyong instructed. And, oh good grief, that sounded a little lewd. Why did he tell Ten to close his eyes? Why had he been so confident moments ago? He was a mess, he should know that by now.

Ten’s mouth opened and Taeyong’s hand shook as he raised it to his mouth. He sighed and willed himself to be calm. If he was shaky, Ten would lose it. He was already terrified of the fruit.

“Taeyong?”

“Sorry, yeah, here...” He shoved the small square of melon into Ten’s mouth and wiggled the little fork loose.

“I don’t like it!” Ten immediately shrieked. The little square bobbed on his tongue.

“You haven’t eaten it yet.” Taeyong laughed. He would remain calm, for Ten’s sake. “Just eat it, Ten. You’ll see. It’s good. I’m not letting you spit it out.”

Ten whined and waved his arms around while he chewed the small bite. Taeyong was shocked that he’d chewed it all. He assumed he’d try to swallow it like a pill.

“I’m proud of you,” he told him after Ten had swallowed.

“Why?”

“You did it. You yelled and waved your arms around a lot, but you did it. You conquered your fear.”

“Conquered is a strong word, Taeyong.”

Taeyong snickered and shook his head. “Well, you’re on your way. Did you like it?”

“No.”

“No?” Taeyong pouted. “It didn’t taste good?” He stabbed one of the pieces of melon with the tiny fork and popped it into his mouth. “It tastes delicious! Perfectly ripe. You really didn’t like it?”

Ten looked sheepishly at the floor. “I don’t know. I just... I was too focused on a fruit being in my mouth.”

Cooing at him, Taeyong speared another cube of watermelon. “Don’t think of it as being a fruit. Don’t think about what it is at all. Just focus on the flavor.”

“I don’t think I can.”

Taeyong stepped closer to him and took hold of his hand. “Just one more try... For me. I _really_ think you’ll like it.”

“Why do you have to be so persistent?”

“Because this is my favorite thing and I want you to try it.”

“Ah, okay. Just for you. I’ll try the _thing_. The thing that is not a fruit, but just a tasty thing that is your favorite thing, so I’m going to try to like it.”

“You don’t have to force yourself to like it. You just have to try to actually _taste_ it without screaming and flailing around.”

“Right, right. Okay.” Ten let his eyes fall closed and opened his mouth. “I’m ready.”

“It’s delicious, just chew slowly and taste it.”

Taeyong placed the little cute on Ten’s tongue and watched as his lips closed around the small fork, pulling the cube free. Ten’s hand tightened around Taeyong’s, but he didn’t scream, and he didn’t flail.

Taeyong watched as his mouth moved slightly as he slowly chewed. His lips parted and then pursed as he swallowed. Taeyong wasn’t one for internet slang, but Ten surpassed looking “like a snack.” He looked like a three-course meal.

Taeyong longed to kiss those lips.

When Ten’s eyes popped open, Taeyong started and glanced around, looking everywhere but at Ten’s lips. Clearing his throat, he asked, “Did you like it?”

“Um...”

Taeyong focused again on Ten’s face, his eyes, definitely _not_ his lips. “You liked it! I can see it in your eyes!” He dropped Ten’s hands to clap. “Ah, you loved it! I got Ten to love a fruit.” He clapped rapidly and danced around.

Ten laughed and nudged him. “Alright, alright. Yeah, I really liked it. I never knew an evil thing could taste so good. Sweet and juicy, as advertised.”

“I told you! Would you like some more? Maybe eyes open this time?”

“Baby steps, Taeyong. Baby steps.”

“Well, you can’t carry on closing your eyes and having me feed you for the rest of your life.”

“Aw, why not?” The question was playful, but Ten’s eyes glinted in a way that made Taeyong’s stomach somersault.

He didn’t have a good answer for the question either. He could happily live out the rest of his days feeding Ten.

“Okay, okay.” Ten moved to the counter. “I’ll try a piece with my eyes open.”

“Well, if you’re really not ready, I could.” Taeyong shrugged his shoulders like he didn’t really want the opportunity to feed Ten. He blushed, feeling utterly shameless.

“Thank God. I hoped you would cave, because it tastes delicious, but it still looks weird.”

Taeyong and Ten moved to the couch where they sat cross-legged in front of each other, Taeyong feeding Ten and himself until the plate was empty. Only after the last bite did Taeyong realize that he’d been sharing the little fork with Ten. He hadn’t once considered the germs that he might also be sharing and was surprised to find that he wasn’t bothered about it. Ten had faced his fear. Perhaps it was time he started to face his, the multitude of them.

“So…” Ten said while Taeyong was cleaning their watermelon dishes. “I was thinking…”

“That we need another watermelon?”

Ten laughed. “Yeah, actually. I don’t know if I just really love watermelon or it’s just comforting to have someone feed me. Am I weird?”

Taeyong wanted to say “yes,” but then he’d have to address the fact that he actually really liked feeding Ten. That would be weird and awkward. Probably. Instead, he just shook his head.

“Well, thanks for that,” Ten said, laughing. “We should go to the market and buy another one.”

“That sounds like a great idea, actually. I need to pick up a couple of things for dinner anyway.”

“I thought you were having Pad Thai.”

“I am. I need shrimp and bean sprouts. You’re not allergic to shrimp, are you? I could do chicken or tofu instead. Actually, I have tofu, so maybe I’ll do that.”

“I’m fine with either. Why don’t you let me buy whatever you need? To pay you back for cooking for me.”

“Oh, no. You’re my guest. I couldn’t ask you to pay for anything.”

“Taeyong, if you weren’t feeding me, I’d be wasting way more money on take-out.”

“Okay… I guess that makes sense. You can buy the shrimp and bean sprouts then. Do you want to pay for the watermelon? Or I can get one.”

“I got it.” Ten waved him off. “Also, the watermelon thing isn’t really what I was going to say earlier. I wanted to say that… I’m glad that we resolved, I mean, whatever all of that was. I’m sorry that Lucas is so stupid.”

Taeyong shook his head. He kept his eyes on the plate as he dried it. “I’m glad that everything is resolved too, but it’s still none of my business who you do whatever with, so I shouldn’t have been upset at all.”

Taeyong really wanted it to be his business who Ten did things with, but he wasn’t sure how to get that privilege.

“I know that. I know it’s not really our… I mean, we don’t have the right to… Whatever. But…” He shrugged his shoulders.

Taeyong placed the plate in the cabinet, hoping Ten would expand on his lengthy, but utterly vague response. When he didn’t, Taeyong turned to him. “Maybe it’s best not to dwell on it.”

And by that, he meant it’s best not to talk about it, but I’ll dwell on it in silence until the end of time.

Ten sighed and his shoulders sagged. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“When do you want to shop?”

“Now is fine, if you’re ready.”

“I need a few minutes, but then I’ll be good to go.” His hair was still a damp from his shower. If he went out without drying it properly, he would be haunted by the voices of his grandmother and Mrs. Collins. _If you go out in the chilly weather with wet hair, you’ll catch a cold!_

 

Ten glanced over his shoulder at Taeyong when he came through the front door to their building. The butterflies in Taeyong’ stomach fluttered wildly when Ten smiled up at him from his place on the front steps. “Ready to go?”

“Mmhmm!” He reached out to give Ten a hand up, but Ten had already turned and hoisted himself up. Taeyong stuffed his hands in the pocket of his light blue hoody to keep them occupied while they trooped down the walkway and onto the sidewalk.

“Where you going?”

Taeyong jerked his head back to find that Ten was no longer with him. He stood at the curb beside his Vespa. “I… The market.” He pointed toward the market’s general direction.

“Come on. Let’s ride instead.”

As Taeyong climbed on behind Ten and slid the small helmet that Ten gave to him over his head, he saw so many romantic movie scenes flash before his eyes. He was living a movie scene.

Ten slid his own helmet on and turned back to Taeyong. “Hold on tight. We’re going to cruising at some high speeds. We may see thirty!”

Taeyong laughed and looked around for something to hang onto. “Uh, Ten…”

Ten turned further, contorting his body to face him. “What’s up?”

“There’s nothing to hold onto.”

Ten laughed loudly. “My waist, of course!” He contorted himself further to grab Taeyong’s wrist. He jerked it forward, looping one of Taeyong’s arms around his waist. “Now, you do the other one. I can try to grab it, but I think I’ll pop my shoulder out of socket.”

Taeyong froze. Ten still tightly gripped his wrist which was somewhere near Ten’s navel. Taeyong was essentially hugging Ten from behind. He had never felt closer to death.

“Taeyong? You there?”

“Huh? Sorry. Um, is this necessary? I mean, we could walk.”

Ten dropped his wrist and turned around again. “You don’t want to ride on my awesome Vespa?”

He pouted in a way that made Taeyong want to cook chicken noodle soup and serve him hot cocoa with marshmallows. “I do. It’s just… Sorry, I’m weird.”

“Oh… Is it the germ thing? You don’t want to touch me?”

Taeyong’s cheeks colored when he inadvertently began to think of all the ways in which he would love to touch Ten. “No, it’s fine.”

“If you’re not comfortable, we can walk.”

“I’m fine. Turn around.” He forced a smile.

Ten eyed him suspiciously but turned around, wiggling his bottom to get comfortable. Taeyong averted his eyes from that display as much as humanly possible as he slowly looped his arms around Ten’s midsection.

“Ready?” Ten called out.

“Ready!”

As Ten drove along, slower than usual to ensure Taeyong’s safety, Taeyong found himself leaning into him more, scooting closer, letting his hands clasp together and lock his arms around Ten’s midsection.

“Having fun?” Ten called out.

“I am! I’ve never ridden on one of these things before, but I always wanted to.”

“I’ll give you a ride any time.”

Taeyong grinned and hugged him a little tighter. “Go a little faster.”

Ten laughed. “Not daring enough for you? You know this thing really doesn’t go over forty-five.”

“Just a little faster.” He wiggled and squeezed his arms around Ten.

“Okay, okay.” Ten pushed it to thirty-five which he thought was actually five miles past the limit on this stretch of residential road. He couldn’t be bothered to care when Taeyong hooted behind him. He could just imagine the grin on his face.

“This is so fun! I’ve never driven with the wind directly on my face before. It feels so freeing!”

“I’ll let you drive some time.”

“Really?! You’d trust me?”

Ten slowed back to twenty-five. They were nearly to the market and another car had crossed onto the road ahead of them. “You’re not some kind of reckless driver, are you?”

“I’m not some kind of driver at all, really. I don’t have a car and I haven’t really driven in a while. Johnny doesn’t trust me with his car. It’s like his child.”

“Do you have a license to drive?”

“Yeah, but I need to renew it. It expired this month.”

“I can take you to do that.”

“I’d appreciate that. I don’t use it, but it’s still nice to have.”

Ten laughed as he rolled to a stop in front of the market. Unlike the larger cars, he parked on the sidewalk, near the entrance. “We’ll have to get you driving more.”

Taeyong climbed off the back of the Vespa and removed his helmet. “How do you get around when it’s cold?”

Ten removed his helmet and shook out his hair. “Snow-covered Vespa.”

Taeyong’s eyes widened and Ten laughed at him.

“I’m joking. I’ll store this thing in the parking garage at Lucas’ building and take the bus or steal Lucas’ car when I can. How do you get around when it turns cold? I’ve seen you riding around on your bike. It doesn’t even have a motor.”

“Are you making fun of my mode of transportation?” Taeyong watched as Ten lifted the seat to put his helmet away. He handed his over when Ten’s hands were free.

Ten shook his head. “No.” He opened the small rear storage box and inserted Taeyong’s helmet. “I’m just pointing out its lack of motor and general uselessness in the colder months. I can drive this thing until there is snow on the ground. I could actually drive it then, but I don’t.”

“Don’t you get too cold?”

“Layers. Turns out I look really cute in giant parkas.”

Taeyong imagined Ten would look “really cute” in just about anything. “You’re a brave soul.”

“Oh, sure. I can face cold weather any day. Just don’t put a fruit in my path and I’ll be fine.”

Taeyong laughed at him but quickly apologized. “I’m sorry to say that there will be lots of fruits where we’re going. Unless you want me to brave the produce section alone while you get the shrimp on the opposite side of the market?”

“Would you?”

Taeyong smiled sympathetically and softly said, “I would.”

Ten thought, not for the first time, that Taeyong could be the perfect man for him.

“Shrimp then?” Ten checked with Taeyong as they walked through the front door of the market.

“I’m not picky about the variety, but have them deveined, please. They’ll do it for you. You just have to ask. I hate doing it.”

Ten’s face twisted. He didn’t struggle with the germ thing like Taeyong did, but he didn’t fancy clearing out a shrimp’s digestive tract either. “Will do. You get the melon and we’ll meet back in a safe space far from the fruit?”

Taeyong chuckled. “Let’s meet in the baking section. I’ll get something to make for dessert.”

“Something with chocolate?”

“If that’s what you want,” Taeyong said with a grin to match the one on Ten’s face. He would do just about anything to see that grin stay on Ten’s face.

Ten clapped his hands, still grinning. “I’m going to get the shrimp! You hurry with the you-know-what and I’ll meet you in the delicious section.”

Taeyong chuckled to himself and watched as Ten rushed off toward the meat and fish counter. He looked so cute that Taeyong wanted to follow him, wrap an arm around, maybe walk hand-in-hand.

His mind lost in thoughts of Ten, he turned away without looking and collided with a man walking behind him. “Oh, I’m so sorry, sir!” He started bowing before he heard a startled laugh and his name. His head jerked up. “Mark?! What are you doing here?”

Mark’s smile was pinched, and he emitted another nervous laugh. “Uh, just came for a few things.” Mark glanced to his left and grabbed a random loaf cake from a sale stand. “This, for one.”

Taeyong looked at the tag. “Day-old pound cake?”

Brow furrowed, Mark took a better look at the item in his hand. “Yep, yeah. I can’t get enough of… day-old pound cake.”

“Hmm… I could make you a fresh pound cake, you know?”

“Oh, well, maybe I’ll have you do that.” Mark seized the opportunity to set aside the cake. “What are you doing here?”

“Buying stuff for dinner and a watermelon.” Taeyong grinned ridiculously at the mention of the watermelon.

“Hmm… That sounds good. Well, I should get going.”

“Oh, yeah… But what about the stuff you needed?”

“Well, I’ll just have you make a cake for me, like you said.”

Taeyong eyed him suspiciously. “Mark, you live on the other side of town. You came to this market just to not buy a day-old pound cake?” He planted his hand on his hips and narrowed his eyes at him. “What are you really doing here?”

“I…”

“Did Johnny send you here? I mean, send you to check up on me?” Taeyong sighed. “Is he really worried?”

Mark stared blankly for a moment and then began to nod rapidly. “Oh, yes, yeah. Absolutely. He’s super worried about you and, well, you know, that’s why I’m in the neighborhood.” He shrugged. “You caught me. Sorry, but he’s my cousin, you know, so…”

Taeyong sighed again and ran a hand through his hair. “Tell him… Just tell him that I’ll call him soon, okay? I just needed some time, but I will call him soon.”

“Sure, sure. I’ll tell him. I should just get going now.”

“Thanks for coming, Mark. Thanks for, well, whatever peace offering you were going to buy here before I startled you.” Taeyong dove in for a hug and Mark patted his back awkwardly.

“Yeah, sure, Tae. It’s no problem.”

Taeyong pulled back, patting him affectionately. “You okay, Mark?”

“Yeah, just… didn’t expect to be caught, you know? I’ll let Johnny know what you said.”

“Thanks again, Mark. You’re a good guy.”

“Yeah, sure. See you around, Tae.”

Taeyong watched as Mark practically sprinted out of the store. Weird. Maybe Mark was worried that he hadn’t really accomplished what Johnny sent him to do.

Taeyong shook his head and pulled his phone out of his pocket.

**Taeyong**

Sorry we haven’t talked. I needed time.

It was nice of you to send Mark to check on me.

He seemed weirdly nervous. Tell him that everything is fine.

Let’s get together Sunday. I’ll cook breakfast for you.

Love you Johnny.

 

Taeyong inspected the large watermelons to pick the perfect one. When he found a nice round one with a good hollow sound, he heaved it into a small cart.

He wheeled the cart toward the section where he hoped to find bean sprouts and nearly collided with another person.

A small boy popped out from behind a large display of apples. “Oh! Sorry, sir! Is there anything I can help you with?”

Taeyong started to politely decline when he noticed the name badge on the boy’s shirt. “You’re Donghyuck!”

A smile spread across the boy’s face. “I am! And you are…?”

“My name is Taeyong. You helped a friend of mine pick out a watermelon earlier, I think.”

“Ah, yes… He wasn’t sure he’d like it, but I assured him that he would.” Donghyuck looked at Taeyong’s cart and beamed proudly. “I sense that he liked it!”

“He loved it.” Taeyong patted the melon in his cart. “Had to get more for him.”

Donghyuck threw his hands up, wiggling his fingers cutely. “I’m so happy! I love helping people discover new foods!”

Taeyong laughed. His enthusiasm was adorable. “Thanks a lot. It was a great choice. I’m hoping this larger one will taste the same.”

Donghyuck reached out quickly and knocked on the melon’s bright green rind. “Sounds good,” he said in a voice too serious for the subject of watermelon.

“I’m happy for your professional opinion, thank you.”

“Oh, any time. If you need help with anything else, please just let me know. I’m happy to help!”

“You know… I could use some help finding some bean sprouts. I’m making Pad Thai tonight.”

“Oh! That sounds delicious! Let me show you right over here!”

After Donghyuck presented Taeyong with the perfect bean sprouts, he thanked him which Taeyong found a bit odd. Donghyuck giggled. “It’s just that I always have trouble deciding where to go on dates and it annoys my boyfriend a little. You’ve just helped me to decide that we’ll have Pad Thai tonight.”

“Oh! Well, I’m glad that I could help. Enjoy your date.”

“Thank you so much! You enjoy your night as well. Tell your friend that I’m happy he enjoyed the watermelon, please!”

“Oh, I will. Thanks again!” Taeyong waved as he set off, thinking he’d never met a friendlier market employee in his life.

Donghyuck went back to happily arranging the apple display.

Taeyong was an aisle away from the baking section where he was to meet Ten when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He knew it would be a reply from Johnny when it buzzed four more times before he could unlock the screen. He was surprised at the genuine happiness that washed over him at the thought of reconciling with Johnny. He missed him more than he had realized.

**Johnny**

TAEYONG-AH!! I’M SO HAPPY THAT YOU FINALLY CONTACTED ME

I MISSED YOU BRO!!

I LOVE YOU TOO.

I WILL BRING YOU A BUFFET FOR BREAKFAST IF YOU WANT.

Taeyong laughed at the caps lock and the last message that came through – entirely made up of happy faces and heart emojis. Not Johnny’s usual style, but this was a special occasion. Taeyong was poised to respond when another, slightly troubling, message arrived.

**Johnny**

I don’t know what you mean about Mark, though. I didn’t send him to check on you???

**Taeyong**

What do you mean?

I met with him at the market by my house and he said he was over here because you sent him.

**Johnny**

Hmm… Well, I’ve never known Mark to be a liar, but he’s a liar.

I knew you wanted your space. I didn’t send him.

**Taeyong**

That’s weird.

He looked a little weird. What do you think he was doing?

**Johnny**

???

Buying drugs?

**Taeyong**

Johnny…

**Johnny**

Lol, I don’t know, Tae.

Maybe he wanted to check on you himself but he felt awkward so he lied. I always thought maybe he had a bit of a crush on you. It’s so gross.

**Taeyong**

Having a crush on me would not be gross!

But he doesn’t. He definitely doesn’t.

Maybe ask him what he was doing.

**Johnny**

You ask him. I don’t care what he was doing.

**Taeyong**

Johnny, are you going to be dumb again already? We haven’t even met up yet.

**Johnny**

I’ll call him right now if you don’t leave me again. T^T

**Taeyong**

I’m not leaving you. Come over on Sunday.

We need to talk and I miss you.

**Johnny**

See you then!

Taeyong shook his head at another uncharacteristic message filled with hearts and kissing emojis. He stuffed his phone back into his pocket and pushed his cart into the next aisle.

Ten stood halfway down, staring at a wall of boxed brownie mixes.

“Taeyong!” He waved him down when he heard the cart rattling into the aisle. “I found what I want.”

Taeyong rolled the cart to a stop beside Ten, took the shrimp – wrapped in plastic and bagged, and deposited it on the bottom of the cart. “What?”

“Brownies!”

Taeyong turned to face the wall Ten was staring at. His face twisted. “Oh, no, no. We don’t make boxed brownies.”

Ten’s face fell into the saddest pout, his bottom lip jutting outward. “But… You said…” he whined.

Taeyong’s heart nearly exploded. Why did Ten need to do everything in the cutest way possible? “I will make you the best brownies you’ve ever had, but not from a box mix. That’s just chemicals and fake chocolate.” Taeyong shuddered.

“What’s wrong with it? I thought it was like the same thing, only boxed up.”

“Oh, Tennie, you have so much to learn.” Taeyong patted Ten’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, though. I’m here to teach you.”

Ten laughed. “Whatever, you weirdo. As long as I get some brownies.”

“Oh, you’ll have brownies, the best fudgy brownies with chocolate chips. I have everything we need except chocolate chips. Grab some and let’s go.”

Ten turned around, scanned the shelves and grabbed the cheapest chocolate chips on the shelf. Taeyong smacked them out of his hand, sending them clattering to the floor.

Ten stared at him, mouth agape.

“No.”

Ten stared.

“Never.”

Ten finally managed to blink. “What… the… heck?”

Taeyong retrieved the chocolate chip bag, unharmed, from the floor and stuffed it back onto the shelf. “We do not buy those. Those are fake chocolate. No.”

“What… even?”

Taeyong selected a brand three dollars more expensive and placed them into the cart. “We waste money on good chocolate chips.”

“ _We_ seem to be doing a lot of things that _I_ would never do.”

“Well, aren’t you lucky that you have me to teach you the ways?”

“I’m not entirely sure that I am.” Ten laughed. “You’re crazy.”

“Seriously, Ten. Pick up that bag of chocolate chip-shaped abominations and read the ingredient list. Just do it. I’ll wait.”

Ten glared at him but did as he said. Taeyong watched as his eyes widened more and more as he read the list. “What even is half of that stuff? I couldn’t even read some of it! Cocoa wasn’t even listed!”

“I rest my case. Shall we go now?”

“I… I’m stunned.”

“It pays to pay attention to what you’re eating, Ten. Brownies aren’t the healthiest thing when you make them properly but eating them from a box. I mean, it won’t kill you, but it’s just not good. Don’t worry, by the way, I’ll pay for the expensive chips.”

“No, I can… It’s not about that. I just didn’t know…”

“Now you do.” Taeyong reached out and booped him on the nose.

Ten’s jerked his head back, blinking. “Did you just _boop_ my nose?”

“I think so. I’m sorry.” Taeyong barked out a nervous laugh. “I’m sorry. I have no idea why I did that.”

Ten’s laughter was sweeter, lighter than Taeyong’s. Taeyong melted a little. “It’s okay. I just… No one does that to me, but Lucas and that’s because he says that I can only hope my huge nose will get smaller the more he does it.”

Taeyong felt his shoulders rise and tighten. “What a jerk,” he muttered.

“No, no. He’s just joking.”

“Sounds like a jerk to me.”

“No, no. Aww… Your stance is so ‘fight mode’ right now. Ah, that’s cute! You’re going to defend the honor of my long nose!” Ten grabbed his shoulders and massaged him. “Relax. My long nose and I are fine.”

“Your nose is perfect, though. It’s so cute and not too long and it’s not big.”

Ten smirked. “You think my nose is cute, hmm?”

“Shut up.” Taeyong pushed him away, his cheeks on fire.

“You think _I’m_ cute too, Taeyongie? Or just my nose?”

“No brownies for you,” Taeyong mumbled as he pushed the cart forward quickly to get away from Ten.

“Wah! No!” Ten chased after him as Taeyong picked up speed and raced down the aisle. “Just admit you think I’m cute and give me brownies!”

Taeyong tossed the chocolate chips from the cart as he rounded the corner.

Ten wailed and snatched them up as he swiftly rounded the corner, nearly slipping in the process. “Taeyong!” he shouted, gaining attention from an elderly woman perusing a display of dinner rolls. “Sorry!” he shouted, bowing a little to her as he bolted after Taeyong.

He caught Taeyong just as he stepped into the check-out line behind a pregnant woman and her small son.

“Shh…” Taeyong pointed ahead of him. “Pregnant lady and a baby,” he said with a smirk.

“You’re making me brownies. And you’re going to admit that you think I’m cute too.”

“Your nose, I said. Your nose. I said nothing about _you_ as a person. Just the nose.” Taeyong’s hand darted out and he booped Ten’s nose once more.

Ten gasped and smacked Taeyong’s hand away.

The little boy standing beside his mother looked back with the most judgmental glare that Ten had ever seen on a small child. “My mom says hitting isn’t nice.”

Ten gaped at him. The mother apologized to Ten, but Taeyong just agreed with the little boy. “You’re absolutely right and so is your mother, little guy. Hitting is very wrong.”

The little boy nodded. “You should apologize,” he said to Ten.

“Oh, he’s probably right. You should say sorry or I might be sad.” Taeyong pouted for the little boy’s benefit.

Ten’s face reddened, his jaw clinched. Taeyong was such a brat. “I’m sorry for hitting you, Taeyong.”

“Now you have to forgive him,” the little boy whispered to Taeyong.

“Oh, of course. I forgive you for your mean actions, Tennie.” Taeyong patted Ten’s shoulder, but Ten shrugged him off.

The mother laughed and guided her little boy away from them after she’d paid and collected her groceries. When they disappeared out the door, Ten smacked Taeyong hard on the arm.

Taeyong yelped. “Ouch! That one actually stings, Ten!”

“You got me in trouble with a little boy and a pregnant lady!”

“Well, you’re the one smacking me!” Taeyong laughed as he unloaded the cart.

“You’re being rude.”

“How?”

“You won’t tell me I’m cute!”

“You’re being silly. Pay for this stuff, so we can go home.”

Taeyong walked outside, leaving Ten to pay and carry the groceries. He was all talk, but he felt nervous. He could make a joke about it, but he did think Ten was cute. More than cute, he was gorgeous. And Taeyong wanted to tell him. That and so much more.

Ten walked out a moment later, glare in place. “You’ll admit it eventually, Taeyong!”

“Not likely!” Though it sounded like a joke, Taeyong thought it unlikely that he ever would admit his feelings to Ten. His anxiety and awkwardness made him utterly useless when it came to feelings.

As they rode off toward their building, the watermelon and other groceries safely stowed away in the storage compartments, Taeyong clung to Ten, wishing that he could find the courage to admit his feelings. They’d glossed over the week of separation, the reasons they were angry.

Taeyong was glad to have Ten back, to be able to cook for him, spend time with him.

But he couldn’t help feeling like they hadn’t really resolved anything. It was a misunderstanding, they’d settled that bit.

But would either of them ever admit why the misunderstandings had them so upset that they couldn’t face one another? Surely, Ten had some sort of feelings for him and he knew he had tons of feelings for Ten.

Why couldn’t they just admit it?

Perhaps Ten’s insistence that Taeyong admit to thinking he’s cute was his way of getting something out in the open, his way of opening the door to confessing their real feelings for each other.

 

Ten parked near the door of the apartment building on the wide walkway.

They removed their helmets and swapped them for the groceries in the storage compartments.

They walked – Ten holding the melon; Taeyong, everything else – to the front door. Taeyong slid his key into the door but paused before turning it.

“What’s wrong?” Ten asked when he turned to look at him.

“I…” Taeyong’s heart hammered in his chest. He was such a fool. “I do think you’re cute, Ten. Really cute.”

A grin slid across Ten’s face. “I knew it,” he said softly and brought his finger up to lightly boop the end of Taeyong’s nose. “I think… You’re cute too, Taeyong.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that you all really loved this chapter. PLEASE LEAVE ME SOME COMMENTS AND FEEDBACK!! I loooooove hearing what you all think of this fic! It MAKES ME DAY. 
> 
> Please let me know if it worked for you, if it didn't. What you liked, what you loved, what was meh. I want to hear your thoughts!
> 
> Heads up - I am going on a short vacation this weekend, so the next update may take a little longer as I usually do the bulk of my writing on the weekend and this one will be booked up! 
> 
> Thanks so much again to everyone for being patient and amazing. If you don't follow me on Twitter, remember that I leave little updates, teasers, and such over there @ames_kpopfics. Come have a chat with me! <3
> 
> (If you see any errors, please feel free to comment about them. I don't have a beta reader and, although I do edit the chapters myself, I don't always catch everything. Thanks!!)


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Johnny is excited about getting a breakfast invite from Taeyong, but when he goes to share the news with Taeil, he mucks it up a bit... as usual.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that it's taken awhile for this update. I hope that you'll enjoy it! We're checking up on a few other characters since the last update was pretty much all about Taeten. It's also very dramatic because I cannot let anyone just be happy.
> 
> This chapter is dedicated to new reader, mbbts, who left a lovely comment on the last chapter after power-reading the entire fic into the wee hours of the night. Thanks! Welcome and enjoy the crazy rollercoaster ride of this fic. (Read: get out while you still can!! lol)
> 
> Also, shoutout to anyone who left a comment or sent me a message on Twitter or Instagram! I love you all. You are the reason that I am so excited to write and update this thing! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

“Ooh, hey…” Taeil stumbled backward when Johnny plowed through the door and attacked him, long arms linking around him, and smothered him in a tight hug. He laughed as Johnny squeezed him tight, stabilizing him, so they both didn’t tumble to the floor. “What is this about? I know you were happy about having dinner, but this… I didn’t expect such a reception.”

“I’m so happy, Taeil!”

“I can sense that, babe. What is up? I know this cannot be about take-out and cuddles with Tigger and me on the sofa.”

Johnny pulled away, still holding Taeil’s forearms gently. “No. I _am_ excited to see you and Tigger and have dinner, but I finally got a text from Tae!!”

Taeil’s eyes widened and a grin spread over his face. “I’m so happy for you, Johnny.” He pulled his arms out of Johnny’s loose grip and wrapped them tightly around Johnny’s waist. He pressed his head to his chest and took a deep breath in. He loved the smell of Johnny’s cologne and the way he could hear the faint beat of his heart. “I told you that he’d come around soon. I’m so happy that he did.”

Johnny kissed the top of Taeil’s head. “Thanks for being there for me while he was being distant. You really helped me a lot.”

Taeil had thought a lot about what would happen when Taeyong returned. He knew it was only a matter of time. Johnny had shared so many stories with him, stories of their childhood together in Korea and how they reunited in the States. They were fated to be best friends.

Taeil had prepared himself to lose a lot of his time with Johnny to Taeyong, but he wanted him to be happy. Now that his friend was back in the picture, he wondered if their relationship might change in more ways than just spending less time together. He had noticed that Johnny could be rather flippant and fickle. Taeil was mature enough to take things as they came. If their relationship reverted back to what he assumed it would be when they met in the bar – a random sexual encounter – he would just adjust his life to fit that new reality.

He would miss their relationship as it had become, but perhaps it had moved too quickly. He felt attached to Johnny in a way that probably wasn’t normal for just a week together. Johnny had needed comfort shortly after they met and he sought it in Taeil. Perhaps, with Taeyong back, what he needed from Taeil would change or he might find that he no longer needed him at all.

Taeil had spent his teen and adult life focused on school and disinterested in romantic relationships. What he’d seen of others in relationships, it was normal for them fall apart quickly. When that happened, he was determined to handle it in a mature manner. Move on. Focus on school again.

He would miss him so much, though…

“I was happy to be there for you, Johnny,” he said after he’d pulled back again. He left his hands at Johnny’s waist for a moment, but let them drop.

“I can’t wait for Taeyong to meet you.”

Taeil’s brow furrowed. “You want me to meet Taeyong?”

Johnny nodded quickly. “Of course! He’s my best friend and you’re my… well, you’re my boyfriend, right?” He shrugged his shoulders. They hadn’t put a label on what they were. Maybe it was too soon, but Johnny spent all his free time with Taeil, including every night. He thought of him when he wasn’t with him, and his mind was still muddled with dreams of what their future could be. He thought of Taeil in ways he had never even considered another man.

Taeil found himself nodding before he really had time to think. “Yeah, I guess I am.”

Taeil quivered for the grin that formed on Johnny’s face. He happily accepted the kiss that Johnny leaned down to give him.

The thought, “too soon,” niggled at the back of his mind, but he shoved it away. He had feelings for Johnny that he had never felt before and he couldn’t let the maturity he prided himself on, or preconceived notions of how get in the way of some child-like hope for the future.

“Tae invited me to breakfast on Sunday. That’s huge, right? He really wants to be friends again.”

Taeil smiled gently at him. “You never stopped being friends, Johnny. He just needed some time, because things got so complicated.”

“I know, but I mean… This is a huge step. He doesn’t just want to talk on the phone or text or whatever. He wants to cook for me! He wants me to come over.”

Taeil laughed. “I’m happy for you, honey.” He reached up to brush Johnny’s bangs away from his face. He told him countless times that he needed a trim. When Johnny got overexcited, his bangs fell over his eyes. Taeil loved his eyes and his forehead. He wanted to see them.

“I’ll get my bangs trimmed tomorrow,” Johnny said with a laugh. He ran his long fingers through his hair to push the hair back.

“Good. I would think that Taeyong would like to see his best friend’s entire face when they meet for the first time after a week.”

Johnny laughed and wagged his index finger at him. “Don’t bring Taeyong into your plot to see my sexy forehead. He doesn’t even care.”

Taeil shrugged, grinning sheepishly. “I can try, can’t I?”

Johnny leaned in to kiss him again. “You’ll come with me, right?” His lips hovered over Taeil’s when he asked.

Taeil pulled away, laughing. “You need me to hold your hand while you get your hair trimmed?”

“No, no.” Johnny chuckled. “I mean, you can come then, if you want. But I meant to Taeyong’s for breakfast.”

“No!” Taeil shook his head. “No, I’m not coming with you.”

Johnny backed away. He pouted and shook his hair into his face again. “But I thought…”

“Johnny, this is the first time you’re seeing Taeyong after your big argument. You have to go alone. You have to show him that you’re thinking of _him_.” Taeil shook his head. “No, Johnny. Have you learned nothing this week?” Taeil ran his hands through his hair, sighing.

“I…”

“You have to be focused on Taeyong and your relationship with him. You have to apologize for being insensitive before. If you take me around there, like ‘hey meet my new boyfriend that I made while you were being sad’… What does that look like?”

Johnny’s eyes widened a bit and then his entire face fell. “Looks like I’m a dick.”

“Kind of, yeah.”

“I’m so dumb, Taeil.” Johnny turned and leaned over, resting his forehead on the counter. “You should leave me. I’m hopeless.”

Taeil smacked his back. “Don’t start that! I’m not going anywhere and neither is Taeyong if you just learn to think of him before yourself or whatever you were thinking of when making him kiss me seemed like a good idea.”

Johnny straightened up and turned to face Taeil. “If I had noticed how hot you were, that wouldn’t have happened.”

“Okay, that is rude on so many levels and you’re still not thinking of Taeyong first. I feel like you need to take a class on how not to be an idiot.”

“What was that you said about being rude?” Johnny deadpanned.

“Oh, no. I won a pass to call you an idiot, my love.”

“Your what?”

“Hmm?”

“Your what?”

“What?”

“Your _love_ … Is that what you just called me?”

Taeil smacked his arm. His cheeks turned a bright shade of pink. “Not the time!” he barked. “Think of Taeyong and only Taeyong. He’s your best friend and you want to keep him as such, correct?”

“You know I do.”

“Yeah, I know you do, but sometimes I wonder if you know you do. Or if you know how to do so.”

Johnny frowned again. “Where’s Tigger? I need someone to comfort me without smacking me.”

“He’s in the bedroom taking a nap. He’s not comforting you right now.”

“Why are you being mean?”

“Why are you acting like a five-year-old?”

Johnny pouted, but he couldn’t protest. He knew was acting like a child. “I don’t know. Because I’m an idiot.” He let out a loud sigh. “You’re right, though. I have to put Tae first. I actually have to do something for him that he asked me to do earlier. Did you already order dinner?”

“No. I waited for you. Why?”

“I gotta go. Rain check on dinner.”

“Johnny, don’t go. I didn’t mean to be so harsh on you. I just want you to be happy and for Taeyong to stay your best friend.”

Johnny shook his head. “Nah, you were right about everything. I’m an idiot child that needs to stop being so self-centered. I’ll see you next week probably. I’ve gotta do something for Tae and then I’ll figure out how to sort myself out.”

Johnny ruffled Taeil’s hair a bit, and trailed a hand over his cheek before he walked to the door.

“Johnny…”

“I’ll text you.”

“Johnny!”

Johnny disappeared through the door without another word. When it clicked shut behind him, Taeil leaned back against the island. He had been so worried about Taeyong driving them apart, but he feared he had done it on his own.

 

**Johnny**

Mark, where are you?

I’m outside your place.

**Mark**

I’m inside my place.

Why didn’t you use the buzzer?

**Johnny**

Wanted to make sure you were in

**Mark**

Idiot

I’ll buzz you up

 

“Why does everyone think I’m an idiot, Mark?”

“Hello to you too, cousin. Come on in.” Mark waved Johnny into his apartment and closed the door behind him. “What are you on about?”

“Everyone thinks I’m an idiot.” Johnny had come to Mark’s apartment to ask him about the weird encounter he’d had with Taeyong, but, again, he was thinking of himself first.

“Well, you act like an idiot sometimes.” Mark shrugged his shoulders. It was common knowledge that Johnny was a goof. He’d never intended to sound cruel when he called Johnny an idiot, but perhaps it had come off that way. “I don’t mean that in a really mean way.”

Johnny slumped onto Mark’s couch, as much as he could slump on the hard, angular black leather couch. Mark’s apartment was modern, angles and sharp edges and corners throughout. Black and chrome with little pops of color. Johnny envied Mark at times. He had his life together. He had left his parents’ home as soon as he could. Johnny clung to home, to his mother, his parents.

Mark sat on the black armchair across from Johnny. “What’s up with you? Did you break up with that guy already? I told you not to get so close to him. You’re just using him until Tae comes back anyway.”

Johnny jolted forward on the couch, leaning toward Mark so quickly that the latter jerked backward. “I’m not doing that! I really like Taeil and I didn’t break up with him. We actually just labeled our relationship.” Johnny stood and Mark quickly followed suit. He was shorter than his cousin, and Johnny would tower over him if he stayed seated. “Why are you being so judgy about this? You’ve been making comments since I told you that I slept with him.”

“Well, to be fair, you told me that you shoved Taeyong at him, pissed him off, then went home with the guy and slept with him the same night. That sounds a bit…”

“A bit what, Mark? What would you know about it? You’re too busy trying to convince yourself that you only work at a gay bar because it pays your bills. You’re not really gay. The flirting you do with the customers is just to get more money, right? Who the hell are you to judge me, Mark? You don’t even know who you are.”

“What is your problem, Johnny? Why did you come here? You come here just to scream at me about what I am? Or who you think I am? It’s none of your business.”

“And everyone thinks I’m an idiot?” Johnny scoffed. “At least I’ll admit what I like.”

“Yeah, everyone knows what you like because you can’t keep your pants on around it!”

“Maybe if you got your pants off now and then, you wouldn’t be such a mess!”

“A mess?! This coming from a guy who is unemployed and lives with his parents? Screw you, Johnny. Get out.”

“I’m going!” Johnny marched to the door. “Oh, and by the way, the next time you want to take your super straight ass across town to stalk my best friend, don’t make up some lame excuse that I sent you.” Johnny rolled his eyes and walked out, slamming the door behind him.

Mark stared at the door. He should have known that Taeyong would tell Johnny that he’d seen him. Of course, he would. He didn’t know why Johnny thought he was “stalking” Taeyong. They were friends. Why would he _stalk_ him?

Left utterly bewildered by his cousin’s outburst, he slumped into his bedroom. He was off work for the first Friday in… he couldn’t even say how long. He felt he should do something to celebrate the night off, but he just felt like staying in.

He had just collapsed onto his bed for a moment of quiet, maybe a nap, when his phone buzzed in the pocket of his jeans. He knew who it would be even before he pulled it out.

“Hey! I’m off work! And I have an idea for date night! So I ran into this really nice guy and I helped him find something to go with his dinner and that’s what made me think of the idea for our date.”

“Donghyuck… Slow down. Wait a second.”

Donghyuck remained silent for a moment and then asked, “What’s wrong?” He knew the tone in Mark’s voice and it wasn’t good. He loved Mark, but he’d struggled in his relationship with him right from the beginning. Mark was in the closet, though he wasn’t sure how when he worked at a gay bar. His older boyfriend was confident about so many things, but his sexuality was definitely not one of them. He feared another “break” might be ahead for them. Mark often took weeks where he didn’t speak to Donghyuck. They were essentially broken up until he used the key that he always kept to Donghyuck’s apartment and crawled into bed with him in the middle of the night.

A sigh rattled over the line as Mark rolled onto his side. “I think we should cancel date night tonight. I’ve just had a weird argument with Johnny and I’m not feeling up to going out.”

“We don’t have to go out, babe. I can bring over some takeaway. My idea was Thai food anyway.” Donghyuck was nothing, if not persistent. His friends had advised him to leave Mark, but he truly loved him. He hadn’t spent a year of his life trying to make this work to give up on him.

This was the part of the conversation where Mark would usually shut down, push Donghyuck away, gear up for another break, but something in him switched. He wanted Donghyuck there, near him. As much as he pushed him away for his own foolish reasons, he did love Donghyuck and he liked being in a relationship with him.

“Yeah, can you just come over, please? I don’t even care about the Pad Thai. I just want to see you.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading this update! Please do comment down below and let me know what you thought about all this random drama. ahahah I do apologize (not really) that I can't let anyone be happy, ever. Let's all just cross our fingers that Taeten stays happy. They don't need anymore drama. 
> 
> If you would like to follow me on Twitter, please do. I love talking to you all there and seeing what you think in my polls! I really do take what you say into consideration. I don't have a super set idea for what is going to happen as this continues, so if you have any requests or ideas, please let me know in the comments or on Twitter/Instagram. I love your ideas and will definitely try to implement them when and where I can.
> 
> Also, I would really like to know - who is your favorite couple?? (Not Taeten, lol, that's obvious.) Who do you want to see more of? I did a poll on Twitter about this, but I would like to know what everyone thinks! :)
> 
> I feel like I write the work "thanks" a million times, but I'm really so appreciative of you all. You don't even know, so, once again, thank you all so much!!! <3333


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taeten are back! They're back at the apartment after their shopping adventure, cooking their dinner and chatting away~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the super long wait for this part! I've been busy with work, life, and just stuff. I hope that you all haven't lost interest in this. This chapter is all Taeten for those who have been waiting!
> 
> (This is unedited, by the way. I apologize, but I don't have a beta reader and I didn't want to take even more time to edit it. Just wanted to get it posted!)

Having admitted that he found Ten to be cute, Taeyong felt relieved and light. He flitted around the kitchen, whipping up Pad Thai for Ten while the latter sat by watching him. Ten had done well to prep everything for him, but he refused to cook anything. Taeyong explained things to him as he went through the motions, but Ten insisted that he stay hands-off.

“Trust me, it’s for your safety,” he had said when Taeyong tried to coax him into boiling the noodles while he cooked the shrimp.

Taeyong had laughed it off, promising that someday he would teach him to cook.

 

When the meal was near completion, Taeyong asked Ten to get plates down and set his tiny kitchen table. Ten stalled, saying, “You know... We could go to my place to eat. I have a huge TV and tons of movies... We could have a dinner and movie... thing.” He stopped himself just short of calling it a “date.”

“Uh...” Taeyong stirred up the dish in the pan, his hand trembling slightly. “I... The food is here, though.”

Ten burst out with laughter. “Taeyong, how many times have you delivered food to my place? You’ve proven that it’s portable.”

“Yeah, but, um, I plan that out and I, you know... Put stuff in containers.”

Ten opened one of the cabinets at random. “You mean like _these_ containers?” He took down a large plastic bowl with a red lid.

Taeyong glanced at him and quickly back to the food. His cheeks burned red. “Sort of. But I thought we’d just stay here. Where the food is. And I have a television.”

Ten placed the bowl back into the cabinet and shut the door. He sighed heavily, his shoulders drooping. “Taeyong... Why don’t you ever want to come to my place? This is not the first time I have invited you over. Do you think I’m some kind of disgusting slob or something? Look, I know you have a thing about germs and I respect that, but I’m over here eating my fears for you and my place is actually clean and...” Ten cut off, taking a deep breath. He hadn’t realized he’d been rambling so quickly on one breath.

“It’s not that...”

Ten frowned, but Taeyong didn’t look away from the food. It was fully cooked, but he refused to remove until they’d settled this and he could remain safely in his own apartment away from the ghosts. “Well, what is it? I don’t get it. Do you just not like me that much? I mean, I don’t know if that’s a thing? Like you’ll have me to dinner at your place and get angry when you think I’m sleeping with Lucas, but you won’t come to my place because it’s not that deep? I don’t even know what I’m saying. And I don’t know why I’m getting frustrated and talking really fast...” He sucked in another deep breath. His face was red, growing hotter the more he ranted. And why?

Taeyong just kept stirring slowly. Maddeningly slowly.

“I’m just going to go home. I don’t know why this is so annoying, but I’m getting upset and whatever, I’m leaving.”

“YOUR APARTMENT IS HAUNTED!” Taeyong shouted when Ten reached the door. He didn’t want to admit to another stupid fear, but he also really did not want Ten to leave.

Ten stopped and stood still, frozen mid-walk, his arm raised to grab the doorknob. After a beat, he spun slowly toward Taeyong. “I’m sorry...” He held back a laugh that bubbled in his throat. “What?”

Taeyong wanted to shrivel up and die. “Your place is haunted,” he mumbled. He switched off the stove and moved the Pad Thai away from the fire before he ruined their dinner.

“I...” The laughter bubbled past his lips in a short burst. “I’m sorry... WHAT?” He belly-laughed then. “Haunted? You can’t... You cannot be serious? Haunted?!” He barked out a loud laugh and slapped the counter.

Taeyong jumped at the sound and frowned. “I’m serious. Everyone says so. Even Mrs. Collins says so... Well, I don’t know if she actually said so, but I’m sure she thinks it.”

Tears streamed down Ten’s face as he tried to hold the laughter inside. “Mrs. Collins...”  He squeaked with a laugh cut short. “I never did meet her, you know? Maybe...” He giggled. “Maybe she’s a ghost!” He nearly fell over laughing.

“This isn’t funny!” Taeyong stamped his food. “Stop laughing at me! I don’t laugh at your stupid fear of fruits!”

Ten stopped abruptly, wiping the tears from his face which had grown serious and sad. “I... Sorry.”

“I’m sorry too. I didn’t mean to... To say that about your fear. I’m sorry, Ten.”

“No, no. It’s okay. It is a stupid fear, I know. But ghosts...” He shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know... I don’t think they’re even real. At least a fruit is a real thing.”

Taeyong frowned. Suddenly, everything had gone sideways. It was supposed to be a great night, but now he felt like a fool for being afraid of ghosts. He’d offended Ten and he was about to leave.

“I’m sorry,” Ten said. Taeyong heard his footsteps drawing closer and forced his eyes to stay on the food. He didn’t want to look up at Ten with what he imagined was a pitiful look on his face. “I didn’t mean that. I mean, I did, but... I’m sorry. I know what it’s like to be afraid of things that people don’t understand. I shouldn’t have... I should not have said that.”

When Ten’s hand landed on Taeyong’s shoulder, he jumped and Ten apologized again. “It’s okay,” he said, finally dragging his eyes away from the food to look at Ten. “I’ve just always been freaked out by ghosts. I mean... I don’t know. Maybe I’ve seen too many movies.” He shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, I mean, I just don’t think they’re real, but if I did... Well, they’d be pretty terrifying.”

“I don’t even know if I think they’re real. It’s just the idea that maybe they could be, I guess. I don’t know. Just everyone says your apartment is haunted. That's why no one has lived there in years.”

“I don’t think it’s haunted... But I do wonder if your Mrs. Collins is a ghost. I really haven’t met her.”

Taeyong made a face, his brow furrowed, and his nose wrinkled. “She’s not a ghost. I’m not the only one who has seen her.”

“Maybe she appears to everyone but me because I don’t believe in ghosts.”

“Stop it! Mrs. Collins is like my grandmother and I don’t want to be creeped out around her now because I think she might be a ghost.”

Ten chuckled softly. “I’m sorry. I would like to meet her, though. You talk about her so much.”

“Well, we could go knock on her door. I could even offer her some food.” Taeyong bit his lip. “Oh, no. She doesn’t like stuff too spicy. I guess I can’t, but I could introduce you to her.” Taeyong thought of how much Mrs. Collins had been pressuring him to have a proper meal with Ten, to make a move. She would be so excited to know they were about to have a nice dinner together and maybe watch a film.

“We could drop by on our way to may place...”

Taeyong’s shoulders slumped. “I... don’t know.”

“I promise you that it’s not haunted. I’ve never seen a specter creeping around. No inanimate objects have moved around. The sheets are only on the bed, not flying around the house with holes cut for ghosty eyes...”

“You’re not funny, you know?”

“I’m sorry, really.”

“No, you’re not. What if I bought a bunch of fruits and put them at your place?”

Ten nodded. “That’s fair enough.  I would be horrified. I won’t tease you about this, but I swear to you that my place is not haunted. Would you just come check it out? We can meet Mrs. Collins first, if you want. Maybe that would put you at ease. Maybe we can ask if she thinks the place is haunted or knows why others seem to think it is. I really haven’t heard anything about this. It definitely wasn’t in the advert for the place.” Ten snickered.

Taeyong glared at him. “It should have been.”

“I might not have got the place if it was, though.”

“Why? You’re not afraid of ghosts,” he said in a mocking voice.

“I know, but I would have thought the person posting the advert was crazy. Then we wouldn’t have met and you wouldn’t have anyone to terrorize with delicious, evil fruits.”

Taeyong finally laughed softly. “I’m sorry that I ‘terrorized’ you with the fruit, but you love it. And if you hadn’t moved here, you wouldn’t have had someone to feed you dinner for free every night.”

Ten chuckled and smiled bashfully. “It would be really sad if I didn’t move here…”

“I agree… Even if you’re being mean to me.”

Ten rested his hand on Taeyong’s shoulder. “I am sorry that I gave you a hard time about the ghosts. I really would like you to come over and see that it’s not haunted at all.”

“Alright. Let’s pack this food up, though. And no scary movies!”

“Aw, but I love scary movies.”

“Ten, I cannot watch a scary movie in a potentially haunted apartment.”

“We could watch Casper the Friendly Ghost.”

Taeyong smacked Ten’s shoulder. “Stop making fun of me or you can go home, and I’ll eat all the Pad Thai by myself!”

“Alright, alright. Last one. Let’s pack up the Pad Thai and go.” Ten took down the container from before and removed the lid. “Or did you want to see if Mrs. Collins is home?”

Taeyong started to spoon the Pad Thai into the dish. “Yes. We should stop by to see her first.” He frowned at the dish as he started to cover it with the lid. “I hope this doesn’t taste awful now. If it does, it’s your fault for wasting our time making fun of me.”

“I’ll still eat it, to be honest.”

Taeyong snorted. “Of course, you will.” He shook his head. “You need to eat better.”

“Well, now that you’re back in my life, I expect to.” Ten grinned at him.

Taeyong couldn’t help grinning back at him. “Wouldn’t it be better if I teach you to cook?”

“Why would I bother when I have you to cook for me and you do it so well?” Ten linked his arms around Taeyong’s arm and grinned cutely at him.

Taeyong’s heart felt like it either wanted to run a marathon or stop entirely. “What if I disappear one day?”

“Taeyong… Don’t say that.” Ten pouted at him as he pulled away, dropping Taeyong’s arm. He leaned over with his hip resting on the counter. “I don’t want you to disappear.”

“I won’t,” Taeyong said softly. “Come on… Let’s go meet Mrs. Collins quickly, so we can get to our dinner.” He gave Ten’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze before guiding him to the door.

As he locked up his apartment and headed next door, he worried over whether Mrs. Collins would be home. He knew that if she wasn’t home, there was a chance that Ten would revisit the ghost theory.

It couldn’t be true. Mrs. Collins could not possibly be a ghost. She’d shared way too much food with him. Ghost didn’t eat food, right?

What if they did?

What if she was a ghost?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading. Please do comment down below if you've read this chapter. I'm afraid that no one is interested after this long hiatus, so please let me know what you think of it!!
> 
> I'd also love to know what you think of the Mrs. Collins situation! Is Ten right?? Is Mrs. Collins a ghost? Comment down below or go to my Twitter (ames_kpopfics) or Instagram (ames.noona) to vote in my poll! I really want to know if you guys agree with Ten or Taeyong on this one!!
> 
> I love you all. Again, so sorry that it took so long to update this! I really hope you all enjoyed this update!


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taeyong was left anxiously wondering if his neighbor and second grandmother, Mrs. Collins, is a ghost...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has taken thirty-five years to update and I'm sorry. I never intended to take this long with updates, but life just keeps happening and keeps being terrible for literally no good reason. That's not an excuse, just a state of fact. I apologize that this has taken forever. I won't promise that the next one will be up any quicker, but I'll try. Thanks to anyone that commented on the last part. x

“Dude, she’s gotta be a ghost and she’s not coming because she knows I’m here, a skeptic,” Ten whispered after they’d been waiting nearly a full minute with no answer from Mrs. Collins.

“Ten! She’s not a ghost! Stop saying that.” Taeyong handed the bag of food to Ten and knocked once more. “Mrs. Collins! It’s Taeyong. Are you home?”

A moment later, the door opened and a small figure shrouded in white stood in the doorway, ghostly white face looming out of the shroud. Taeyong shrieked and jumped backward.

Ten nearly dropped the food he was laughing so hard.

“Taeyong, dear!” Mrs. Collins moved toward him into the hallway, pulling the ties on her robe tighter around her waist. “What’s the matter, dear? I’ve just put my face mask on, that’s why I couldn’t answer the door.”

Taeyong’s heart pounded in his chest, but he forced himself to focus. He realized quickly that horrifying pale shrouded specter at the door was only Mrs. Collins wearing a clay face mask and a bathrobe.

Mrs. Collins glanced toward Ten. “Is he alright, dear?”

“He’s fine. Tae…” Ten gave him a little shake. “Everything is fine. You want to introduce me to your neighbor?”

“Taeyong, dear, who is this fine young man here?” Mrs. Collins reached for his arm, coaxing him toward her. “What’s wrong, my dearest?”

“Sorry, Mrs. Collins. This is, um, this is our neighbor across the hall… Um…” He looked at Ten as if he’d forgotten his name.

“Ten, ma’am. I’m Ten.” Ten bowed to her and offered his hand to shake which she did gently. She had a glint in her eye that told him she already knew who he was. Taeyong must have been telling Grandma about him… That was a good sign.

“It’s nice to meet you, Ten. I think I’ve seen you going out a few times when I’m out in the garden visiting with my kitty. You always seem to be in a rush to get somewhere, so I never see fit to bother you with an introduction.”

“Oh, I’m sorry about that. I’ve never noticed you, ma’am, or I would have introduced myself.”

“Thank you, dear. Now, would you two like to come in for a spell? Have you brought dinner for me?” Her voice was light and cheery, but she shot a disappointed look to Taeyong.

He read that clearly as “Young man, I told you to have a dinner date with this boy, not to bring dinner to me!”

“Oh, sorry,” he said, clearing his throat. “I made Pad Thai tonight and it’s very spicy. We were just heading over to Ten’s apartment to eat it and watch a movie together.”

Mrs. Collins’ face transformed into that of a proud grandmother with just the hint of a fangirl seeing her ship become canon. “Well, that sounds like a lovely evening! Don’t let me keep you two now.” She receded back into her apartment, standing at the threshold. “It was nice to meet you, Ten. That’s an interesting name, by the way, Ten.”

“It’s a Thai nickname,” he explained.

“Oh, yes. I’ve heard of that somewhere.” She flashed a smile at Taeyong that wasn’t subtle in the slightest.

He blushed and Ten grinned. “Mrs. Collins, ma’am, before we go, I have a question.”

Taeyong bit his lip. “Ten, shouldn’t we just leave Mrs. Collins to relax now?”

“Oh, it’s just a quick question, Taeyong.”

“Go ahead, dear.” Mrs. Collins reached forward to pat Ten’s arm.

“I’ve heard some things about my apartment and Taeyong said you’ve lived here for a while, so I wondered if you could help me.”

“With what, dear?”

“Some people have said that, well, they’ve said my apartment is _haunted_.” He added a little dramatic flair to the end to tease Taeyong.

Taeyong crossed his arms over his chest and tried hard not to pout. He failed, but he tried.

Mrs. Collins let out a bark of laughter that caused Taeyong to jump. His arms, crossed only a moment before, flailed out at his sides. Ten snickered and he crossed him again, tightly.

“Oh, honey! That tale is older than me. Said a gentleman got in with the wrong crowd and did himself in in that apartment before the coppers could catch him. There’s not a bit of truth to it! Truth is, that man ran off with his girlfriend’s brother and she spread rumors about him to spite him! They’ve just gotten out of control over the years. His supposed death gets more gruesome each time it’s told, not to mention his imagined dirty dealings. He was nice man, just in love in the wrong time. It’s all ridiculous nonsense, but it’s kept that apartment clear for years.” Mrs. Collins shook her head. “Don’t you worry wrinkles onto that handsome face of yours. There are no ghosts in this apartment, myself excluded!” She laughed loudly again, startling Taeyong.

Taeyong blanched, white a sheet. “W- What?”

“I look like Casper the Friendly Ghost in this mask! I need to get back inside before someone sees me and adds a little old lady’s murder to that poor man’s crimes. I don’t want to be another fake ghost haunting this place! You boys have a great evening now. Enjoy your meal!”

“Thank you, ma’am.” Ten nodded to her, taking Taeyong by the arm as she waved, winked at him, and then closed herself into her apartment once again.

“Well, there you have it. No ghosts. Right from the lips of your second grandmother.”

“Yeah… You think she’s telling the truth?”

“Taeyong, why would she lie?” Ten sputtered with laughter. “That’s a pretty elaborate story to make up for no reason.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Why would someone do that though? I mean, what his girlfriend did.”

“I don’t know. My mom always said that no one is meaner than a woman scorned, or any person scorned for that matter. She was probably angry and humiliated. Mrs. Collins said it was a different time and this girl just found out not only was her brother probably gay, but her boyfriend was into guys too, and now they ran off together? I’m a pretty chill guy and I’d probably be mad. I wouldn’t spread a rumor that he was a criminal, but I’d be bummed out.”

“Hmm… I guess that sort of makes sense and the rumor just transformed over the years. What a mess.”

“Pretty much. Are you convinced now?”

“Sort of…” Taeyong looked sheepish. “I’m sorry for being stupid, Ten.”

“You’re not stupid, Taeyong. I’m afraid of fruit. You’re fine.” He chuckled softly. “Can we go eat now? It smells delicious and I’m starving.”

“Oh, yes.” Taeyong instinctively walked toward his own apartment.

Ten frowned a little, but followed after him.

“Oh, we’re going to yours, not mine.” Taeyong shook his head and changed direction. “Sorry, I just went automatically.”

“It’s okay. I just thought you didn’t want to go to mine and I was totally going to let you get away with it.”

Taeyong smiled at him. “You’re so nice, Ten.”

Ten snorted. “Thanks, Tae. You look very serious right now. I thought you were going to say something much deeper, but thanks.”

“Sorry… I thought about saying something else, but it does mean a lot to me that you’re so kind to me.”

Ten shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah, sure, Tae. I mean… You’re nice to me, right? You make me food all the time, you torture me with delicious watermelon… I appreciate you.”

“Let’s see what you think after this Pad Thai…” Taeyong talked while Ten stepped forward to open the door to his apartment. “You know; I’ve never made Pad Thai for an actual Thai person before. I’m a little intimidated.”

“I’ll eat anything, if that helps.”

“Well, it does and doesn’t. I want you to enjoy this.”

“I will. I mean, I’ll generally eat anything because I can’t be picky. I mean, I won’t cook for myself, so who am I to judge someone else’s food? But also, I don’t fully _enjoy_ everything I eat. Sometimes, it’s just food, you know? I thoroughly _enjoy_ your cooking.”

Taeyong grinned at that. “Oh, okay. Well, we’ll see then.”

Ten ushered him into the apartment, shut the door, and led him over to the kitchen. When he began to take plates down from the cabinets and cutlery from the drawer, Taeyong asked, “You have dishes?”

“I’m not a barbarian or a caveman, Taeyong. I do occasionally dump the contents of takeaway onto real dishes and eat with real cutlery.

Taeyong laughed at the offended look on his face. “I’m sorry! I didn’t know. I mean, if I have takeaway, it always goes onto a real plate, but I just thought…”

“That I was some kind of caveman who grunted around smacking people with a giant stick and eating off the ground?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I thought.” Taeyong rolled his eyes and removed the container of Thai food from his bag. “Do you have a serving spoon, Lord Ten of the Proper Cutlery and Crockery?”

“What is a serving spoon?”

Taeyong sighed heavily. “Oh, my gosh. How do you not know what a serving spoon is?”

Ten spun around, jerked open a drawer, and whipped out a metal serving spoon. “I know what a serving spoon is!” He smacked Taeyong’s upper arm with the back of the spoon.

“You are like a caveman. And wash that. I’m not using it after you smacked me with it.”

Ten’s eyes widened. “Are you covered in filth?”

“I’ve been wearing this shirt all day. Who knows what is on it? Wash it.”

“Okay… Okay, I will.” Ten gave it a quick rinse under the tap and turned back around. The spoon was nearly over the container when Taeyong jerked it away.

“I said wash! Unless you have magic cleansing water, you need to use soap! Is that how you washed these plates?” Taeyong leaned over inspecting the plates.

“Taeyong, geez… I thought a rinse was enough. I’ll wash it. Calm down. I do know how to wash a dish. I have worked as a dishwasher at like five restaurants. It’s okay.”

Taeyong’s shoulders sagged when Ten turned around and began to scrub the spoon with a soap and a cloth that had been draped over the empty dish drainer. He tried to ignore the nagging question in the back of his mind, “How long had that been there?”

“I’m so sorry, Ten. I don’t mean to be such a paranoid germaphobic mess.”

Ten rinsed the spoon and dried it with a second cloth. When he turned back, his face was softer, sympathetic. “Don’t worry about it, okay? I understand. It’s all clean now, though, and I promise the plates are clean.”

“I believe you, honestly. I don’t think you’re a slob. I just… I’ve never been here; you know?”

“Whose fault is that?” Ten spouted before he could stop himself. “Sorry. I didn’t mean for that to come out the way it did. I mean, I was just joking around.”

“Nah, I get it. I should have come over before when you offered.” Taeyong served up their dinner. “I’m such a moron sometimes, honestly.” He mentally riffled through a list of moronic moments with, or in relation to, Ten. It was a longer list than he cared to admit.

“I think we’re all allowed a few moronic moments here and there,” Ten said gently, a cheeky little smile turning up the corner of his mouth. “I think our friends probably abuse the right, though.” He rolled his eyes then. “They should have their moron privileges revoked!”

“Please, yes. Johnny is so stupid.” Taeyong laughed and shook his head. “I would rather not even talk about him right now. Do you want to eat here in the kitchen? I don’t know how you do things.”

“I usually eat while I’m watching television, but if you’re more comfortable here, that’s fine with me.”

“I’m good either way. If we eat first, we can wash up the dishes before we watch a film, though.”

“You’re so responsible, Taeyong. If I keep hanging out with you, I’m going to be such an adult… Gross.”

“I don’t know. Johnny has been my best friend forever and it hasn’t helped him.”

“Ah, good to know that I may still escape that terrible fate.” Ten allowed Taeyong to load the plates with food, but he carried them to the small table in the corner of the kitchen. “Thanks for cooking tonight, Taeyong,” he said after the latter was seated with him at the table. “It smells really good. I can’t wait to eat it!”

“Well, no one is stopping you! Go ahead.” Taeyong smiled and watched as Ten dug into the noodle dish.

Ten moaned as he chomped on the bite in his mouth. “So good,” he mumbled with his mouth full.

Taeyong chuckled and lowered his head to take a bite of his own. It wasn’t his best Pad Thai – a bit overcooked, but it was good enough that he believed Ten’s reaction to be genuine.

While they ate, Ten chattered happily about the food, the watermelon, and briefly mentioned their reunion. Taeyong wanted to delve deeper into the reunion subject, but something held him back. He wasn’t ready to fully share his feelings with Ten. His fear of rejection was overpowering.  He reasoned that he had faced enough fears for the day that he could shove that one to the back for the time being.

“So, are you more of an action movie type? Drama? Horror? Oh, no. You said no horror. Comedy?” Ten sat on his knees in front of his DVD shelf while Taeyong cleaned up their dishes. Ten had insisted that the chore could be done later or tomorrow, but Taeyong preferred to have the dishes clean before he moved on to another task. Ten tried not to take offense to watching a film with him being referred to as a “task.”

Taeyong glanced up from the plate he was drying. “Hmm… I like to watch Halloween movies in October.”

“But you said no horror.”

“There are Halloween movies that aren’t horror movies.”

“Name one.”

“Casper.”

“Two.”

“Addams Family. Halloweentown.”

Ten snorted. “Halloweentown? What even is that?”

“It’s a funny kid’s movie for Halloween. Johnny watched it as a kid and made me watch it. I like it.” Taeyong pouted.

“I’ve never even heard of that, but it sounds ridiculous. I mean, a town named after Halloween? I mean is there ChristmasTown?”

“Probably,” Taeyong interjected.

Ten laughed. “Chuseok Town. I’m going to make that film. A town where everyone eats big meals every single day.”

“I’d move there,” Taeyong admitted with a grin.

“Okay, same.” Ten snorted. “What about White Day Town where everyone gets chocolates all the time? Or Children’s Day Town where kids get presents all the time?”

“Yes! Those sound like the best. What about Songkran Town though? Where everyone just plays in the water all the time and celebrates nonstop?”

Ten stared at Taeyong. “You know about Songkran?”

“Of course. It’s a huge Thai holiday. I’m not an idiot.”

“That’s cool. I mean, I only know about some of the Korean holidays because I lived there. You never lived in my country, did you?”

“Nope. I’ve just studied things.”

“Ah… You studying my country to impress me, Lee Taeyong?”

Taeyong snorted, rolled his eyes, and tossed his drying towel at Ten’s face. It missed completely and landed on the couch, earning a laugh from Ten who promptly collected it to toss back at Taeyong.

Taeyong caught it before it hit him and Ten hooted. “Wow! Look at you. Did you play baseball?”

“No,” Taeyong said with a laugh.  “That catch wasn’t even that impressive. Where’s your laundry basket?”

“Why?”

“This is dirty.”

“You dried dishes with it?”

“I threw it across the room and it landed on your couch.”

“The couch is clean.”

“You sit on it.”

“My butt is clean.”

Taeyong’s face twisted.

Ten laughed at him and cross the room, snatching the towel from him. “Give me that. It’s fine, seriously, but I’ll put it in the hamper in the bathroom.” He disappeared down the hallway and returned a moment later with a clean towel.

“You keep your towels in the bathroom?”

“Where do you keep them?!”

“Kitchen towels are in a kitchen cabinet. Bathroom towels are in the hallway closet.”

“Well, Mr. Fancy Pants. I don’t have a hallway closet and my kitchen cabinets are for kitchen stuff.”

Taeyong crossed his arms over his chest. “What ‘kitchen stuff’?”

“Plates and stuff.”

Taeyong started to open random cabinets. “Plates and stuff” filled the first few. A few boxes of cereal and crackers, bags of crisps, fruit snacks… “Ten, this cabinet literally has one box of Pepero in it. Why?”

“That’s the Pepero cabinet.” Ten’s grin was so adorable that Taeyong almost agreed that every kitchen in the world should have a designated cabinet just for Pepero.

Almost.

“No.” He moved the Pepero to the cabinet with the other food items. “Here you go. A towel and cloth cabinet.”

“But… why?”

“Because it’s more sanitary and you didn’t need an entire cabinet for one box of Pepero.”

“Hey, what about Pepero Town?”

Taeyong’s brow arched. “What?”

“Our make believe towns based on Korean holidays. What about Pepero Town for Pepero Day? You just sit around in your houses made of giant Pepero and eat Pepero all day. Maybe there’s like fried chicken flavored Pepero and rice flour Pepero to dip in spicy sauce.”

Taeyong guffawed. “Wow, okay… I don’t know about fried chicken Pepero, but eating Pepero all day sounds good.”

Ten shrugged his shoulders and attempted to explain the reasoning behind his savory Pepero. “I mean, think about it. You might be tired of eating the sweet Pepero all day and…”

“Doubtful.”

Ten huffed. “You _might_ and then you’ll have something a little different. Dinner Pepero options.”

“I think you might be a little crazy, Ten.”

“That is what they tell me.”

Taeyong shook his head. “We should watch Halloweentown, so you can see that it’s funny.”

“I don’t know…”

“Come on. I came here. The least you can do is watch the movie that I want to watch.”

“Oh, because coming here to hang out with me pained you so much. Geez, Taeyong. You really know how to wound a guy; you know?”

“You know that I didn’t want to come here because of the ghosts.”

“There are no ghosts, confirmed by your non-ghost Grandma.”

“I know, but I had no confirmation when I agreed to join you, so you owe me.”

“Wow, there’s a whole layer beneath your nice, charitable façade. You’re just looking out for Number One, aren’t you? ‘You owe me.’ Goodness! Don’t send Johnny to break my legs if I don’t pay up.”

Taeyong laughed so hard that he had to cover his mouth to protect Ten from any projectile saliva. “Sorry, but what?” He lowered his hand after a moment, still chuckling but sure that nothing would come flying from his mouth. “Why would I send Johnny to break your legs?”

“Oh!” Ten barked with laughter. “I forgot that your friend’s name was actually Johnny. I just said that because it sounded like an Italian mobster kind of name. Sorry. I was just being stupid.”

“You really are a little crazy.”

“I know. You sure you want to continue hanging out with me?”

“I think I’ll take my chances.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment down below if you're reading and enjoying this fic. If I don't get some feedback, I'll assume that no one is reading it anymore. Works in progress don't get a lot of attention, I know that, especially ones with slow updates. I'll wrap it up if no one is interested anymore. Just let me know! x


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We're back with Taeten after their dinner and a movie non-date and another couple makes an appearance... and an overdue revelation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Firstly, this chapter is dedicated to Kat on Twitter, who always drops inspiration and sweet comments into my DMs. I appreciate you tons, Kat!! Thanks for helping to keep me on track even if it takes a little light bullying. ;)
> 
> For all of you beauties - It's been far too long since I updated this, and I am sorry for that. I will strive for more frequent updates going forward. I have to admit that I started to lose the inspiration to write this. I was too caught up trying to keep everyone happy, adding characters and taking them away at your will. I lost sight of the fic that I wanted to write, the fic that most of you seemed to fall in love with early on. Going forward, this fic will still center on Taeten, but there will be other couples and characters as I see fit to include them in the story line. They're driving Taeten, after all. They're friends and acquaintances and family members and even the smallest roles impact Taeten in some way. Please enjoy the fic as it is. I'm always open to your ideas and suggestions, but know that I might not always be able to work your suggestions into the fic. I love you all for sticking with this and I apologize for the long hiatuses and the shoddy writing at times.

Donghyuck let himself into Mark’s apartment with the key that Mark had finally given him last month after Donghyuck pointed out that, not only had Mark been given a key to his apartment after three months, their one-year anniversary was in November.

He kicked off his shoes near the door, knocked it closed with his hip, and called out for Mark. “Mark? Where are you?”

The apartment was pitch black. The only light that permeated the darkness came from the slits between Mark’s massive blackout curtains. Donghyuck groped for the light switch, wishing he hadn’t impulsively knocked the door shut. He blinked rapidly when light filled the large open space.

“Mark?” He walked through the huge living area. He loved the open floor plan of Mark’s luxurious apartment. It was a welcome change from his cramped little studio close to campus.

He turned around a half wall into the kitchen. Mark’s stark stainless-steel appliances glinted in the light overhead, the counters were pristine. Mark was nowhere in sight.

He headed for the hanging spiral staircase that made him nervous no matter how many times Mark assured him that it wasn’t really “hanging.” It was bolted to the ceiling in several places and would never bust loose.

The loft housed Mark’s huge master suite and his office. Donghyuck bypassed the office and walked to the closed bedroom door. It wasn’t like Mark to be in his bedroom in the middle of the day, but it also wasn’t like Mark to sound so desperate and needy on the phone.

Donghyuck stopped at the small, rectangular accent table against the wall near Mark’s bedroom door. Mark often dropped his wallet and keys in a bowl there, in favor of leaving them so close to the front door as many people did. Donghyuck placed the bag of Thai food he’d picked up on the way over on the glass tabletop beside the bowl before he made his way to the bedroom.

He pushed open the door slowly and walked into Mark’s bedroom. “Mark…” He whispered into the darkness. “Babe… Are you in here?”

When a door opened on the other side of the room, Donghyuck jumped. “You scared me,” he said when Mark walked out of the en-suite bathroom.

“Oh, you’re here.”

“I came right after I got food.”

Mark flipped the light switch on his side of the room and Donghyuck blinked. “You didn’t have to bring food.”

“You need to eat.” Donghyuck crossed the room to him. Mark’s hair was wet, but not dripping and he wore nothing but a pair of grey sweats.

Donghyuck kissed him softly on the lips.

“I’m fine,” Mark said in response to Donghyuck’s silent question.

Donghyuck sighed when Mark turned his gaze to the floor. “Don’t do that. Don’t close off. You called me here, remember? You said you wanted me here. Don’t start the same thing where you close off and push me away.” Donghyuck’s shoulders tensed. He loved Mark so intensely and would do anything for him, had done everything he possibly could in the eleven months they had been together. He ignored his friends’ warnings and misgivings. He’d put himself through torturous weeks wondering if Mark would come back after one of their “breaks.” “There won’t be any climbing into my bed after a couple of weeks this time.”

Mark’s head jerked up, his eyes wide with panic.

Donghyuck jumped a little, startled by his own words. Had he intended to say that? Could he mean that? Could he end things with Mark? Maybe he could if it meant ending the pain he felt when Mark disappeared.

“Do you mean that?”

“I…” He fumbled, his hammering heart trying to catch up with his brain and whatever it had been thinking when it caused his mouth to blurt those words. Eventually, his brain won out, and he spoke sensibly, as he knew he must. “Yes. Mark, if you’re going to disappear again for weeks, I won’t be there when you decide to come back. I love you so much and I don’t want to lose you, but it’s been almost a year of this. I know you think you can treat me like this because I’ve let you get away with it, but you can’t. I won’t take it anymore. You need to let me in or let me go. It’s all or nothing time.”

“What if I say nothing?”

Donghyuck’s heart clenched and he felt a physical pain in his chest so deep that he brought his hand up to rest over his heart. It was not a dramatic gesture, though it may have looked that way. It was merely an instinctive reaction to real, physical pain. “If that’s how…” He sucked in a deep a breath when tears threatened to spill down his cheeks. He dropped his hand from his chest, though it still ached. “If that’s what you want, I guess that’s how it will be. If you…”

“What if I say all?”

Donghyuck sputtered after being cut off mid-sentence. Tears trickled down his cheeks. “That’s all you need to say, and I’ll stay. That’s all you’ve ever had to say.” He bit his lip in a sorry attempt to stop the flowing tears.

“All.”

Donghyuck covered his face with the hand that had previously been over his chest.

“All.” Mark repeated as he closed the gap between them, his strong arms pulling Donghyuck’s smaller body against his chest. “I’m so sorry for the way I have treated you, Donghyuck. You deserve so much better.”

“Then give it to me,” Donghyuck muttered. “I know you can do better.”

“I will. I swear. I don’t want to be like this anymore. I don’t want to hide from what I am. I don’t want to have to have someone like Johnny passing judgement on me, telling me to man up. Johnny, for crying out loud. He’s never had himself together and he’s telling me to get it together.” He shook his head. “That’s rude of me to say, but it’s true. If Johnny is passing judgment, I must really be a mess.”

Donghyuck’s slender fingers trailed a line down Mark’s cheek. “You’re not a mess, Mark. You just need to work on a few things and accept who you are.”

“That’s not always easy.”

“No one said it was going to be easy. Nothing that matters is ever easy.”

“It was easy to fall for you.”

Donghyuck’s cheeks blushed pink. “Stop.” He chuckled softly and nudged Mark’s arm playfully. “It will be worth it to get over this fear you have of accepting who you are. Why are you so afraid to admit it to yourself and others? You accept everyone else. You work in a gay bar. Your cousin is gay. His best friend is gay. You obviously don’t have a problem with others being gay. Why not let yourself be what you are?”

“It’s just so different from what I thought I would be. In middle school, I had a girlfriend. In high school, I slept with girls. My parents told me I was straight when I was a small child. I was supposed to like girls. That’s how it was.”

Donghyuck massaged his shoulder when Mark stalled. “It’s okay. It’s okay to not be what you thought you would be, to not be what others told you to be. Only you can decide what you truly are and there’s no time limit on that, you know? There’s no age limit to have your stuff together. There’s no coming out age. But when it starts to interfere with your relationships, you need to face it. You know what you are, Mark. I know you do. You know what makes you happy, and you have to admit it, at least to yourself, or it is going to rip us apart. Losing you is my biggest fear, but I can’t keep up with this. I’m yours forever, if you just stop pushing me away, and I don’t believe you’ll ever truly do that until you can come to terms with the fact that you’re not supposed to still be that teenager that slept with girls.”

“I can never be that person again.” Mark grimaced and hung his head. “I hated myself back then. More than I hate myself now.”

Donghyuck pulled him into a tight hug then. “Don’t hate yourself. You’re too good for that.”

“I wish I could love me as much as you do.”

“Me too.”

“I don’t know how to stop being disgusted with myself. I mean, I like how I look. I think I’m reasonably intelligent. I have good habits, but there’s something just gross inside of me. I hurt you all the time and I hurt Johnny and I flirt with those poor guys at work for extra tips when I can’t even admit that I’m gay. Not to mention, I love you and I can’t admit that I’m gay. I mean, what the hell, Donghyuck? What kind of messed up am I?”

“You’re too hard on yourself, for one. You need to relax. You know what’s not right for you. That’s the first step. Now, you work on it. That’s all you can do. You work hard to change the things that you don’t like. You have that power. I sound like my therapist, but it’s your life and you can take charge of it.”

Mark pulled away from him. “You see a therapist?”

Donghyuck stared at the floor, sheepish. “Yes. Is that a problem?”

“No. Of course not. Maybe I should look into that.”

Donghyuck shrugged his shoulders. “It might help you. It helps me.”

Mark nodded. “Will you put up with me while I’m working things out? I swear I won’t push you away.”

“If you try it, I’ll punch you.”

“Your tiny hands wouldn’t even hurt, but okay,” Mark joked to ease the tension.

When a smile broke out on Donghyuck’s face, Mark knew that everything would be okay. Everything would always be okay if he had Donghyuck’s bright smile in his life.

 

“You smiled literally the entire time. Well, except when you yelled at the villain and called him a ‘doody head.’ Very mature, by the way. But, in summation, you LOVED IT AND I FREAKING TOLD YOU SO!”

Ten launched a piece of popcorn at Taeyong’s face. Between Halloweentown and Halloweentown 2, Taeyong had dashed to his apartment for popcorn and a pan to do what Ten called “real sorcery” and prepare popcorn on the stove.

“I did really like it. I mean, for a kid’s movie. Whatever.”

“Did you just shrug like a ‘cool guy’ from a 1950s movie?”

“I don’t even know what that means, but probably not.”

“You did. It’s not a 50s movie, but it’s set then: Grease. Come on, you’ve seen Grease. You know the cool guys. Danny Zucco, Keneckie? You did the Zucco shrug.” Taeyong stood up, shrugging and snarling, while he mimed flipping up the collar on an invisible leather jacket. “You know, that thing.”

“I did not look anything like that, and I’ve never seen that movie.”

“WHAT?” Taeyong shrieked. “You’ve never seen… What is wrong with you? It’s trash, but it’s classic trash.”

Ten guffawed. “Well, with that glowing review, I’ll get right on it.”

Taeyong laughed at him. “I guess I didn’t really make it sound that great.” He shrugged his shoulders. “You know there are two more Halloweentown movies, though.”

“WELL, LET’S WATCH THEM!”

“It’s late, though.”

“It’s not that late. It’s only…” Ten glanced at his watch. “Almost… midnight…?”

“Oh, no. It’s later than I thought. I’m sorry, Ten, but I really have to go. Thanks for… well, everything today.”

Ten glowed when he smiled sweetly at Taeyong. “Thank you too, Taeyong. I had a really good day with you.”

Taeyong felt the urge to hug him, but he resisted by turning away and ducking around the couch. “It was really great, and I would like to stay, but I really do have a lot to do tomorrow. I have to finish a painting for class and my tutor is coming over for dinner and hopefully to help me finish my Calculus packet.” He sighed. “I hate Calculus.”

“Ah, your tutor is Jaehyunnie!”

“Oh, yeah… I forgot you knew him.”

Ten’s dimples were on display when he smiled wide. “He’s the perfect boyfriend for Xuxi. I’m glad that you met him.”

“Me too. He’s great at Calc.” He wanted to add that he was glad for Jaehyun to have set things straight about Lucas and Ten. Again, he decided that he should leave those feelings unsaid.

“He’s really smart,” Ten said with a nod. “Maybe we can get together on Sunday if you’re not busy and watch the other Halloweentown movies.”

“Yeah, that sounds great. Sunday is the first of October, so that would be perfect.” Taeyong fiddled with the hem of his shirt, unsure what to say but not ready to leave.

“Oh, the movies! Don’t forget them.” Ten pranced over to his Blu Ray player to remove Halloweentown 2. He took both cases to Taeyong and handed them over.  “Thanks again. I really did enjoy the movies and the Thai food was so good. It made me think of home.”

Taeyong blushed and grinned sheepishly. “I’m so happy that I did a good job with it.”

“You really did! Thank you!” Ten lunged at Taeyong, hugging him tightly.

Taeyong stiffened in his embrace, his eyes bulging.

Ten pulled away immediately. “Sorry! I got carried away.” He looked away bashfully.

“It’s okay…” He patted his shoulder because he wasn’t brave enough to pull him in for another hug. “I should get going, though. I need to get to bed. Can I text you tomorrow or would that be too much?” He chuckled awkwardly.

“I might text you as soon as you leave, so…” Ten barked out a laugh, and his dimpled cheeks were pink.

“Please do.”

“You might get tired of my emoji-filled texts and then you’ll regret those words.”

Taeyong shrugged and opened the door to Ten’s apartment. As he stepped over the threshold, he glanced back over his shoulder. “I’ll take my chances.”

 

As soon as Taeyong entered his apartment, he went straight to his bedroom to change into sweats and a t-shirt. He brushed his teeth and climbed into bed. His phone’s LED notification light blinked, and he smiled as he snatched it from the bedside table.

**Ten**

Neighbor Taeyong!

Told you I would text you as soon as you left.

But you’re not texting back…

So maybe you passed out as soon as you got home?

Or you did regret your words?!

That was quick…

Oh, well. Thanks for today!!

I loved it!

Ten’s last message was a full block of emojis including an array of hearts, heart-eyes, starry eyes, and everything that could possibly be related to Halloween – jack-o-lanterns, witches, zombies, and even a few crystal balls.

Taeyong giggled. He felt warm inside reading Ten’s texts. He could get used to seeing these goofy messages before bed. What a wonderfully silly way to say, “goodnight.”

He started when his ringer went off. Another text from Ten had just come through.

**Ten**

I totally forgot to actually say goodnight! So, goodnight, Neighbor Taeyong!

I hope these don’t wake you up…

**Taeyong**

I’m still awake.

I was getting ready for bed when you sent the first messages.

Thank you, btw. I didn’t know how many Halloween related emojis there were. Now I do.

**Ten**

You learn something new every day. ;)

**Taeyong**

Lol

Goodnight, Neighbor Ten.

Thanks for today.

**Ten**

You’re welcome, Neighbor Taeyong.

Hey, I was thinking…

If you get bored tomorrow studying or painting…

Or you need someone to look at your painting and tell you you’re awesome

I might know a guy…

**Taeyong**

Sure, send me his contact…

**Ten**

-_-

I meant me

**Taeyong**

Duh…

Lol

**Ten**

Mean

**Taeyong**

I’ll probably need a guy around breakfast time

I always make too much for breakfast

**Ten**

I’ll be there!!!!!!

Taeyong laughed at Ten’s food emoji text message and put his phone away. As he snuggled down in his bed, and closed his eyes, Ten’s smiling face filled his mind. He slept soundly for the first time in days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone that read this. Please comment down below to let me know what you thought of it. I do cherish all of your comments. I may not be able to cater to all of your wonderful ideas for this fic, but know that I love every single comment and despite a little hiccup while I sorted things out, your comments drive me and inspire me. Without you guys, this fic wouldn't even be here. Thank you so much and I will reply to all comments asap!! <3333


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ten joins Taeyong for a cute little breakfast!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Firstly, sorry this is so late. I had planned for it to be posted much sooner. However, I fell and hurt my arm really badly along with several other body parts. I'm in physical therapy for it, but typing isn't like a huge joy at the moment. That's why this is so short. I'm basically posting as much as I can of what I had written before I fell.

The next morning, Taeyong was up with the sun to finish his painting for art class. The focus for the current project was landscape and watercolor. He had begun with the landscape, so to speak, outside his window. The big project he finished that morning was a “proper” mountain landscape complete with snow-covered peaks and happy little trees that would make Bob Ross proud.

After he completed the landscape, he set the watercolor canvas and easel aside to start breakfast. He had enjoyed a stretch of Western breakfast meals but decided to prepare something closer to a traditional Korean breakfast that morning. Not only would it be nice and nostalgic, it would be healthier and, he hoped, would please Ten.

His kitchen table was too small to accommodate the large tray of vegetable omelets and various side dishes he’d prepared, so he left the food on the counter and set the table with plates, flatware, and orange juice – no pulp, which he feared might trigger Ten.

He had just placed the second glass of juice on the table when he heard a light knock at the door. He grinned and dashed to the bathroom to give himself a quick once-over in the mirror. He ran his hand through his disheveled hair to make it the “I woke up this way” kind of messy rather than the “I’ve been up since sunrise working and cooking” messy.

Just as he began to turn away, he spotted an ominous reddish-orange drop on his white t-shirt. Kimchi.

He tore the shirt off over his head just as Ten knocked a second time.

“Coming!” he shouted as he raced into his bedroom and pulled out the first t-shirt in his closet.

He tugged it over his head as he stumbled back into the main room, swiped his hand through his pink locks (disheveled again by his quick change), took a deep breath, and pulled open the door.

Ten’s dimpled-cheek grin greeted him. A smile spread over his face in response.

“You came,” he said as if he had a doubt.

“Of course. I’ve been sniffing the air in my apartment for twenty minutes. It was all I could do not to run over here the second I smelled food.”

Taeyong laughed and ushered him into the apartment. He didn’t want to admit that he would have loved it if Ten had arrived earlier. He had so enjoyed cooking dinner the previous evening under Ten’s watchful eye. It was like the domestic AU fanfiction he loved to read. His cheeks turned pink at the thought, and he turned his eyes to the floor which gave him the perfect view of Ten’s feet when he kicked his shoes off and padded across the wood floor in his socks.

“Nice socks,” Taeyong said with a chuckle as he shut the door and followed Ten into the apartment.

Ten looked down at his bright pink socks with little pieces of bacon floating on them. He laughed and thanked Taeyong. “The bottoms say ‘Don’t Go Bacon My Heart.’” He plopped into a chair at the table and raised his legs to give Taeyong a view of the bottoms of his socks.

Taeyong laughed at the sight of more floating bacon and bright neon green words. Ten wiggled his toes and laughed too. “Very nice.”

“Nice shirt too.”

“Hmm?” Taeyong looked down at his chest, because he genuinely has no idea which shirt he’d pulled from the closet. He had been into too much of a rush to get to Ten. “Oh, God,” he mumbled, his cheeks blushing a dark pink.

Ten snickered. “Certified Otaku, huh?”

“Johnny bought me this shirt as a joke, sort of. I mean, I am kind of an otaku, but… I hate this shirt.”

The shirt had been a birthday gift from Johnny a few years back. It was two sizes smaller than Taeyong was comfortable wearing, had a girl with, well, a well-endowed girl on the front and the words “Certified Otaku” in bright pink lettering under her scantily clad image.

“Why are you wearing it then?” Ten’s grinning face was filled with playful judgment.

“I spilled kimchi on my original shirt, and you were knocking… Let me go change. I don’t even know why this is even in the closet.”

Because he was too nice to throw it out and too compulsive to stash it somewhere shirts do not belong.

Taeyong dashed into his room, his mind racing with a number of less-than-kind words for Johnny, and admonishments toward himself for being such an idiot! He tossed the shirt to the floor and selected a plain white tee from his closet. He wanted to leave the otaku shirt in the floor, but compulsion led him to retrieve it, shake out the wrinkles, and hang it back in the closet. He sighed and walked back out to the room where Ten was still perched in his chair, grinning.

“You didn’t have to change. It was a great shirt.” He burst out laughing. “Sorry! It was…”

“Trash. You can say it. It was trash. It was honestly a joke, I swear. I don’t have the heart to throw it away.” He shrugged his shoulders as he moved toward the counter to get the food. He assumed Ten would want a little of everything and so began loading his guest’s plate first.

“I know enough about Johnny to understand,” Ten replied. “It’s not even that embarrassing. If I didn’t actually want you to like me, I’d tell you stories about the things Lucas and I have done back in Thailand. We’re an embarrassment to the entire country, to be honest. Well, Lucas is. I’m just his innocent, misguided accomplice.”

“Accomplice implies that you’re complicit in his actions, though.”

“Did I say accomplice??  I meant hostage.” Ten winked at him and Taeyong nearly tripped on his own feet.

He struggled to right himself and not throw a bowl of kimchi on Ten.

“Careful!” Ten said, rising from his seat to grab hold of him.

Taeyong’s hand shook and he was glad that Ten had the good sense to seize the bowl of kimchi.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, sorry. Just… I’m clumsy.”

“It’s okay. Why don’t you let me serve the food? It’s only fair since you cooked it.”

“You’ve warned me so many times to be afraid of you in the kitchen, though. Why should I trust you now?”

“I’m just plating food. I’m not working with heat or fire or anything. It will be okay. Plus, you always say you’ll take your chances, so…”

“I will, but ideally, I would like you to not blow up my kitchen.”

“You’re all talk, aren’t you, Taeyong?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is still keeping up with this, thanks for reading! Sorry this one was so short. I can't guarantee when the next one will be up. Dislocated elbows are so much fun.
> 
> Leave me a comment below if you're still reading and want more. I'll try to write as much as I can.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taeyong and Ten enjoy breakfast together. Taeyong tries to open up a bit more, sharing some of his artwork with Ten... until Ten goes a little too far and things get tense...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry that this update has taken so long! In my last update, I shared with you guys that I had suffered a dislocated elbow. I've been doing physical therapy and it's finally almost completely healed. I've been working really hard for you guys. I hope you enjoy this update. The next chapter should not take as long to post. I'm working on it now.

“So, you just painted this?! Like this whole thing?”

“No, I painted the bottom half and I hired a guy to paint the top half,” Taeyong joked.

Ten screwed up his face in Taeyong’s direction. “I mean, obviously, you painted the whole thing. I’m just impressed, I guess. It’s really good. It looks like something you see on the wall of a hospital or somewhere.”

Taeyong’s brow furrowed. “Is that a compliment?”

“Yeah, I mean, I don’t know what I’m talking about. I’m not an art critic or whatever. It’s just the colors and the landscape. It’s like that one guy with the hair.” Ten waved his hands around a few inches away from his head on all sides. “You know what I mean?”

“I… don’t think I do...”

“The guy with the hair.” Ten motioned again in a circle around his head. “You know, all the hair!”

Something clicked for Taeyong finally. “Bob Ross?”

“YES! That guy! Bob Ross! I watch him sometimes on Netflix. He’s really calming.”

Taeyong nodded. He, too, watched the Bob Ross show on Netflix from time to time. There was something about his voice and the chill way he painted that always made Taeyong feel at ease – with his art, with life. He found that he was happy to be compared to the 80s television painter.

“I love watching Bob Ross,” he admitted. “I’m glad that you think it looks like something he would paint.” He stood back, looking at the painting over Ten’s shoulder, seeing it as Ten saw it. It did look a bit like something Bob Ross would paint, though the 80s painter didn’t usually paint with watercolors. Taeyong did have plenty of “happy little trees” in his landscape.

“Do you have more of these?”

“Watercolor landscapes? No. This was for a project at school.”

“I just meant more paintings.” Ten turned to Taeyong with a smile on his face.

“Oh, yeah… I have a few. Do you want to see them? They’re in my bedroom.” Taeyong’s face flushed, his cheeks hot. Did that sound like he was trying to lure Ten into his bedroom? Like he had an ulterior motive? “I’ll bring them out, I mean, if you want to see them.”

“I do want to see them! Yes, please!”

Taeyong sighed as he walked to his bedroom, still fretting over his choice of words. Ten appeared to be relaxed, but he might be thinking that Taeyong was trying to lure him into his bedroom. Why else would he point out that the canvases were in there?

He shook away the worry and retrieved a few of his smaller paintings from the bottom of his closet. He should have a better place to keep the canvases, but his apartment was too small for a proper canvas stand. He would feel like a narcissist hanging his own painting on the walls, so that option was out as well.

“I just brought a few small ones,” he announced, walking into the living room with two paintings in each hand.

Ten rushed forward to help, taking two of the paintings from him. “Where should I set them up to look at them?”

“You can rest them on the counter against the wall. The lighting is decent in the kitchen.”

Ten nodded and did as he was told, balancing the small canvases on Taeyong’s kitchen counters. One of the paintings appeared to be the scene outside Taeyong’s front window. The other was an abstract that looked like it might be a man’s head? A chicken? A small mammal?

Taeyong placed his paintings beside the others. His kitchen was small, but thankfully the countertop just had enough space for the four small canvases.

Taeyong stood back, looking over the paintings and watching Ten for a reaction.

The first painting had been done the day Ten moved in. The second, an abstract of Ten’s silhouette, he’d done a few days after. He was sure Ten wouldn’t recognize himself in the painting. It was mostly swipes of color in a vaguely human shape. Now that he stared at it, it almost looked like a chicken… The other two paintings were old projects from class – his first ever still life bowl of fruit (so original) and a portrait of a model they had hired, a small woman with deep wrinkles around her eyes and a sweet smile. Taeyong smiled at the memory of painting her that day. She told stories while they worked and presented the small class with homemade cookies afterward.

“Is that Mrs. Collins?” Ten asked, moving closer to the old woman’s portrait.

“No. That was a project for class. We had a life model come in. She was so nice. She gave us cookies after.”

Ten turned around with a wide smile on his face. “Sounds like something you would do.”

A blush crept onto Taeyong’s cheeks. He grinned bashfully and turned his eyes to the floor.

Ten smirked and turned back to the paintings. “I really like these, Taeyong. You’re very talented.”

“Thanks.”

“Is this one a chicken?”

Taeyong raised his eyes to see that Ten was pointing to the abstract portrait of himself. “It’s just an abstract,” he said, his palms sweating. “It can be whatever.”

Ten moved toward the counter, resting his elbows on it as he leaned in to get a closer look at the canvas. “Looks like a chicken. Or a guy’s head. But mostly a chicken.”

“I guess it’s a chicken then.”

“It’s a nice chicken. I like it.” He stood up and stepped back from the counter again, staring at the apparent chicken abstract. “Do you sell your paintings?” he finally asked.

“Hmm? No. I mean, not usually. Why?”

“I kind of want the chicken. I actually really want the chicken. There’s something about it that I really like.”

The hair on the back of Taeyong’s neck was raised. He could not allow Ten to buy a painting of himself. Even if he thought it was an abstract chicken. He absolutely could not allow it.

“How much do you want for it?”

“I can’t let you buy that.”

Ten looked shattered. “Come on,” he said with a pout. “Fifty bucks? Is that not enough? I don’t buy paintings from artists.”

Taeyong’s eyes widened. “That’s too much.” He waved his hands in front of him. “I mean; I can’t sell it.”

Ten pouted and looked from Taeyong to the chicken and back. “Is it that important to you?”

Well, it’s your face, so yes. “I just… It wouldn’t be right to sell you a painting. I don’t sell my artwork.” No one would buy it. “And we’re friends.” He shrugged his shoulders, trying to play this off, though his anxiety was getting worse as the seconds ticked by.

“Ah!” Ten’s face lit up suddenly. “So, you want to give it to me, like a present?!” Ten threw his arms around Taeyong’s neck, hugging him tightly.

Taeyong’s eyes shot open and his body went rigid. How did this happen? Because he’s too anxious to actually use his words like a normal person. And Ten is too cute to hear the word, “no” anyway.

“Thank you so much!” Ten said, jerking Taeyong back and forth a few times before finally relinquishing his hold on him. He grabbed the canvas from the counter and held it tightly in both hands. “I love it! I will hang it in my apartment and tell everyone that a really talented artist painted it when they ask.”

Ten had more confidence in Taeyong’s work than he ever had.

“Sure,” Taeyong muttered. “Let me just put these away now.”

Ten grinned and nodded. “I’m going to run this over to my place! Oh, do you want me to come back? Or you have things to do?”

“I have things to do,” Taeyong muttered, disappearing into his room.

Ten’s grin faltered slightly. Maybe Taeyong did just have things to do, but his voice sounded a little… sad? Annoyed? Had he said something wrong? Read the situation wrong? Surely not. Maybe?

“Is everything okay?”

Taeyong jumped, throwing the canvases onto his bedroom floor. “What are you doing in here?”

Ten’s head poked past Taeyong’s bedroom door, technically putting him (or at least his head) into Taeyong’s bedroom. “Er, I just wanted to make sure you were alright. Did I say something wrong?”

“No. I’m just busy now. I have to put these away and I don’t like people in my bedroom.”

Taeyong had never enjoyed having anyone in his bedroom, save Johnny, but he was his best friend and hardly counted. He certainly did not like Ten – even just his head – being in his room.

His heart pounded in his chest and his face tingled.

Ten jerked backward, disappearing from the small opening. “Sorry! I didn’t know.”

Taeyong sucked in a deep breath and held it for a few seconds before exhaling for a few more, something an old teacher had told him to do when he used to have panic attacks in high school.

“I’m just going to go,” Ten called out, his voice distant.

Taeyong glanced at the canvases lying on the floor. His obsessiveness told him that they should be picked up and put away before he left the room.

He heard the front door open. Stared at his bedroom door, the canvases on the floor, and back.

Finally, he left the canvases lie and yanked open his bedroom door.

Ten was out the door, but it still stood ajar. The chicken painting sat on the kitchen counter. “Ten, wait!”

Ten peered around the door, holding the knob with one hand and wrapping the other arm around the door. Despite everything, Taeyong had to smile. Ten appeared to be hugging the door, his cheek gently rested on the edge of it.

“I’m sorry,” Taeyong said softly. “I… am so weird.”

Ten shook his head as well as he could with one side pressed to the door. “You’re not weird. Well, maybe you are, but everyone is weird in one way or another, don’t you think? I mean, how boring would it be if no one was weird, or – better word – different? We’d be so freaking bored if everyone reacted the same way to everything.”

Taeyong wanted to hug Ten in that moment. He spent far too much of his time feeling weird and awkward. He didn’t _need_ another person to tell him it was okay to be a certain way, he knew that, but it was still nice to hear Ten accepting him even if he did freak out over someone being in his room.

Ten stood up, moving back into the apartment, but not too far. He continued without being prompted. “You know what? If you think about it, your thoughts aren’t even that weird! I mean, we don’t really know each other that well. I just moved in a few weeks ago, right? What business do I have going into your room? Sometimes, I think society is weird, or the way we’re brought up to think about certain things. The world is weird for telling people – guys, especially – that it’s okay to just go wherever you want to go and invade people’s personal space. That’s not normal.”

Taeyong cocked his head to the side, digesting what Ten had just said. He made such a valid point that seemed so obvious now, but Taeyong realized that he’d been taught the same thing. Not necessarily by his parents. They raised him to be respectful of others, but how many dramas had he seen where it was the okay thing for the male lead to invade the female lead’s personal space whenever he felt like it? She was always made to look weird for squealing and batting him away. Even in some of the gay dramas he’d watched, one guy was always in the other guy’s space as soon as they met or shortly after.

“I guess you’re right,” he finally admitted.

Ten nodded. “You’re not weird then. At least not for this. And I’m sorry for invading your personal space without at least asking first.”

“I appreciate that, Ten. Thank you so much.”

Ten shrugged his shoulders. “You shouldn’t have to thank me for acknowledging that I did something wrong.”

“I want to, though. Maybe we should just know things like that, but if we don’t and we own up to it… I think that deserves some appreciation. The world is full of people who don’t know how to own up to the fact that they’ve screwed up, myself included, I suppose.”

“We all have our moments, huh?”

“That’s fair to say.”

Ten beamed at him, the dimples on display. Taeyong’s heart fluttered. He was absolutely head over heels for Ten.

“I should let you get to the things you need to do now. Maybe I’ll see you later?”

Taeyong nodded. He had no idea what excuse he could make for Ten to come back over, but he was sure if he put his mind to it, he could come up with something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thanks to everyone that is still reading this and commenting! I'll respond to comments as soon as possible. I love each and every one of you for supporting this fic even if the updates are slow! I will try to work harder for everyone now that my arm is healed up! Please leave some comments and kudos to let me know what you thought of this chapter!! <33333


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaehyun is supposed to join Taeyong for dinner and Lucas is not pleased.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter didn't get a lot of attention, so I've shifted gears a little bit, bringing Jaehyun and Lucas back for a funny little scene. Hope you guys enjoy this one!

Before Ten left, Taeyong returned the chicken abstract to him, and thanked him again for the compliments. Ten skipped out of the apartment like Taeyong had given him a priceless gift, which of course, made Taeyong feel weak in the knees.

After Ten disappeared into his apartment, Taeyong rushed back to his bedroom to put the paintings back in their rightful place which led to obsessively reorganizing the closet. He rearranged the canvases at the back of the closet, and reorganized his clothes by type and color. It was easier to find things that way. He took down the shirt that Johnny bought for him, folded it neatly and placed it into the drawer in his dresser that held his undershirts. He reasoned that it was a shirt that he would only ever wear covered by something else due to its hideous qualities, and, therefore, belonged in the undershirt drawer.

Reorganizing the closet put him in the mood to clean, so he vacuumed and swept all the floors, deep cleaned the kitchen, and organized the refrigerator.

He was just about to start organizing the cabinets when his phone chirped in his back pocket.

**Jaehyun**

Are we still on for dinner tonight?

Taeyong glanced at the time in the top corner of his phone. It was nearly five. He hadn’t realized it had gotten so late.

**Taeyong**

How about 6:30?

An hour and a half would give him plenty of time to get cleaned up and prepare something for dinner.

**Jaehyun**

Sounds perfect!

Should I bring anything?

**Taeyong**

Not unless you like wine or something with dinner.

I don’t keep alcohol in my apartment.

**Jaehyun**

Nah. Don’t like win!

Wine*

Thanks for inviting me.

See you at 6:30!

**Taeyong**

No problem.

See you soon! :)

 

“What are you doing?” Lucas asked, watching Jaehyun walk out of his bathroom wearing nothing but a small white towel wrapped tightly around his waist. Lucas was sprawled out on Jaehyun’s bed, still naked, having been too lazy to join his boyfriend in the shower after their “afternoon shenanigans” as he liked to call sex to annoy Jaehyun.

“Getting dressed.” Jaehyun towel-dried his hair as he walked toward his closet. “That’s what usually comes after taking a shower.”

“I know that!” Lucas rolled around in the covers until he faced the other side of the room, and Jaehyun’s closet. “I mean, why are you getting dressed? I’m still naked.”

“I told you to get a shower. You’re covered in sweat.”

“Amongst other things,” Lucas drawled, wiggling his eyebrows when Jaehyun turned to look at him.

“You’re gross.”

“You’re the reason I’m covered in sweat and other things! How are you going to call me gross?”

Jaehyun rolled his eyes and went back to picking through the clothes in his closet. He had no idea how to dress for Taeyong. In their study sessions, it didn’t matter. They usually met after class, so he wore what he was wearing for class. This was dinner with Taeyong, though. Should he dress up? They weren’t going to a restaurant, but Taeyong was going to such an effort to cook for him, and he had noticed that Taeyong had some peculiarities about him. He seemed to like things to be clean and organized. Even the notes he took for a class he hated were immaculate.

Behind him, Lucas groaned and Jaehyun heard the swishing of covers and sheets.

“Are you going to continue acting like a child back there until I answer you?”

“Maybe. I mean, I’m not acting like a child!” Lucas launched a pillow at Jaehyun, proving his maturity.

The pillow bounced off the small of his back with just enough force to snap his towel and send it cascading to his ankles.

“Lucas!”

“Ooh… That was unintentional, but I like the view!”

“Pervert.”

“You love me.”

“You’re lucky I do.” Jaehyun bent to retrieve the towel and wrapped it around his waist again. He had decided on khaki pants and a button down shirt with a sweater over it. Preppy wasn’t his usual style, but he could pull off pretty much anything and he thought Taeyong might appreciate the clean look.

“Seriously… _What_ are you doing?” Lucas groaned after Jaehyun had pulled out the pants, a pastel blue button down, and a dark blue cable knit sweater.

“Getting dressed. We covered this.”

“In _that_?”

“These too,” Jaehyun said, pulling a pair of dark blue boxer briefs from his underwear drawer. “And these…” He tossed black socks at Lucas who promptly batted them away.

“Why? You look like you’re cosplaying a professor. Or Mr. Rogers.”

Jaehyun narrowed his eyes at Lucas. “What professor do you have that looks like this?” He joked, patting his abs.

“The clothes! I don’t look at my professor’s abs.”

“I’m going to dinner.”

“Dinner with who? A professor?”

“Maybe. My Lit professor is pretty hot.” His Lit professor was a sixty-year-old woman, but Lucas didn’t need to know that.

“What?!”

Jaehyun snickered and started to get dressed. “I’m not going to dinner with a professor.”

“Who then?”

Jaehyun slid into his khaki pants, shimmying a bit to get them up. They were tighter than he remembered, but he had starting working out more since he bought them and he rarely wore them. “Taeyong.”

“What?!”

“I’m having dinner with Taeyong.”

“No, you’re not.”

Jaehyun shrugged his shirt on and started to button it up. “Yes, I am. He’s cooking dinner for me at his place to thank me for helping him out or whatever and then we’re going to study.”

“No, he’s not! You can’t go!”

Jaehyun stopped buttoning and leveled a glare at Lucas. “Excuse me?”

“You can’t go eat with that asshole!”

“We discussed this Lucas,” he said with a sigh. He resumed buttoning his shirt. “He’s not an asshole. He’s a nice guy.”

“You can’t have dinner with him anyway!”

“Lucas, you’re not allowed to tell me who I can and cannot have dinner with.”

“I’m your boyfriend!”

“Yes, you are. That doesn’t give you the right to control my social life. As long as I’m not cheating on you, my social life isn’t really any of your business.”

“Are you cheating on me?!”

Jaehyun narrowed his eyes at him. “Are you really asking me that question? No, I’m not cheating on you. I’m having dinner with the nice guy that I’m tutoring. That’s it.” He sat on the edge of the bed. “Hand me those socks I tossed at you.”

“Get them yourself,” Lucas mumbled.

“Lucas, come on.”

“I don’t like this.”

“You being a whiny child? I’m not crazy about it either.”

“Jaehyunnie…”

He turned around just enough to look at him. “Lucas.”

“He’s kind of hot though.”

“So, what?”

“So you don’t disagree?!”

“No. I have eyes. He’s attractive. So, what?!”

“So, what if I go out and have dinner with hot guys?”

“You planning to sleep with them or fall in love with them?”

“Maybe!”

“Then, I’d like to break up first.”

“JAEHYUN!” Lucas scrambled across the bed and tackled him from behind.

“Lucas! You’re sweaty and sticky! Get off me!”

“Not until you say that you don’t want to break up with me!”

“You’re an idiot, Lucas. I’m not going to break up with you because you’re not going to cheat on me. And I’m not going to cheat on you.” Jaehyun stood up to break away from Lucas’ hold. “I am, however, going to dinner with Taeyong, and you’re not going to stop me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a couple of chapters written now, so updates should be weekly for a little while. If you're reading this, please leave a comment to let me know that you like what you're reading! Or constructive criticism... anything! Comments are the only way that fanfiction writers know if it is worth our time to keep posting!
> 
> I appreciate everyone who has been reading and commenting! I try to reply to comments as quickly as possible.
> 
> Don't forget you can also follow me on Twitter: @ames_kpopfics. I try to be active in my DMs there! I'd be happy to chat with anyone even if you just want to yell about how amazing your fave is! I'm massively multi-fandom, so chances are they're one of my faves too. <3

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoy this, please do leave comments down below!! I appreciate and love your comments so much! They help me to see if everyone is enjoying the fic enough to continue or post frequently. Please let me know!
> 
> I try to post once a week, but life does happen. Thanks for being patient. <3
> 
> If you have any ideas, requests, or members you'd like me to add, I'm happy to take suggestions in the comments. If you're not already, be sure to follow me on Twitter (ames_kpopfics) for updates, polls, and I make the cutest Taeten aesthetics. <33


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